bà ba

See also: Appendix:Variations of "baba"

Vietnamese

Một cô gái trong bộ Áo bà ba.

Etymology

Literally it can be interpreted as “an old woman (bà), who was the second-born (ba) in her family” in the southern dialect.

Writer Sơn Nam suggests that the bà ba shirt first appeared during the 19^th century, and the name was derived from the Baba in Baba Nyonya, Peranakan Chinese from Penang, Malaysia.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

bà ba

1. (áo ~) áo bà ba (a traditional southern Vietnamese garment)

See also

• chè bà ba