mày

See also: Appendix:Variations of "may"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [maj˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [maj˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ma(ː)j˨˩]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 眉 (“eyebrows”, SV: mi); compare mi (“eyelashes”).

Noun

mày • (眉, 𣭒, 𣮮)

1. eyebrows

   Synonym: lông mày

Usage notes

• Functions as a "singular" noun and a general noun, and currently rarely or cannot be accompanied by cặp (“pair”) by itself.

  có vết thẹo nhỏ dưới mày ― having a small scar beneath (one of) the eyebrows

See also

• mi

Derived terms

• chân mày
• mặt mày

 

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *miː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *mi(i)ʔ; cognate with Koho mi (“you”), Pacoh may (“you”), Khasi me (“you”), Mang miː², Central Nicobarese me (“you”).

Alternative forms

• (Central Vietnam) mi
• (Nẫu) mầy
• (abbreviation) m

Pronoun

mày • (眉, 迈, 𱚧, 𠋥, 𡮠)

1. (in the singular, impolite, familiar, disrespectful or hostile) you

Usage notes

• The corresponding first-person pronoun is tao.
• This form of address is considered disrespectful when speaking to an older person.
• Avoid using this to translate pronouns from certain languages of ethnic minorities (especially those of the Central Highlands) because this has been made into an unfair and inaccurate stereotype for languages that don't make use of extensive kinship terms like Vietnamese.

Synonyms

• (you): mi, bạn

Derived terms

Derived terms

• chú mày
• mày tao chi tớ