anh hùng

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 英雄, composed of 英 (“outstanding”) and 雄 (“male”). Doublet of yêng hùng.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ hʊwŋ͡m˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɛɲ˧˧ hʊwŋ͡m˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔan˧˧ hʊwŋ͡m˨˩]

Adjective

anh hùng

1. heroic

Noun

(classifier người) anh hùng

1. a hero

   Synonym: người hùng

Usage notes

• A heroine can be referred to as nữ anh hùng — literally nữ (“female”) +‎ anh hùng (“hero”). However, both male and female heroes can simply be called anh hùng. The bound morpheme anh here is part of a compound and has no relation with the native morpheme anh (“elder brother”).

  Hai Bà Trưng là nữ anh hùng đầu tiên của dân tộc Việt Nam. ― The two Trưng sisters were the first heroines of the Vietnamese people.

Further reading

• "anh hùng" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)