cái

See also: Appendix:Variations of "cai"

Mandarin

Alternative forms

• cai — nonstandard

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Romanization

cái (cai², Zhuyin ㄘㄞˊ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 纔／才
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 材
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 犲
4. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 裁
5. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 財／财
6. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 溨
7. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 㒲

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Cognate with Muong Bi cảy, Tho [Cuối Chăm] keː³, Chut [Mày] kɛ⁴ (Babaev & Samarina, 2018), Chut [Rục] kɛ⁴ (Nguyễn Văn Lợi, 1993).

Often linked with Chinese 個／个 (“one thing; classifier”) (for example, in Alves (2007)); however, as seen with the cognates in the more conservative languages, the earlier vowel can be ascertained to be a monophthongal non-low front vowel, which makes connection with the Chinese term very much doubtful, although semantic influence is still possible.

In Middle Vietnamese, this classifier is also attested to be used for certain animals (e.g. cái kiến (“an ant”), cái baba (“a soft-shell turtle”)). However, in Modern Vietnamese, this function has been completely taken over by the general animate classifier con. Although sometimes characterized as historically being used for animals that are on the smaller size, plenty of small animals took con instead.

In Muong dialects, this usage can also be seen. For example, Muong Bi has cảy lòi (“a wild boar”), cảy ca (“a chicken”).

Classifier

cái • (丐, 𫡔)

1. Indicates an inanimate, tangible thing

   Cái răng cái tóc là góc con người.

   Essentially, teeth and hair tell how good one looks.

2. (obsolete) Indicates animals
   • Lý hạng ca dao 里巷歌謠 (Folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys), folio 36a

     丐𪂲丐𪅥丐𪆯
     𫳵𡮠踸𪽣穭翁唉𪂲

     Cái cò cái vạc cái nông;
     Sao mày giẫm ruộng lúa ông hỡi cò?

     The stork, the heron, the pelican;
     Why troddest thou on my paddy rice, oh stork?

3. (colloquial) Precedes another classifier (any one but “cái” itself), effectively acting as a focus marker, sometimes conveying a connotation of deprecation, especially if persons are referred to.

   Cầm cái con dao này đưa cho mẹ.

   Take this knife and hand it to your mom.

   Cái thằng đần thối này!

   You moron!

See also

• chiếc; con

Noun

cái • (丐, 𫡔)

1. (only in compounds) a thing; a whatsit

   Synonym: đồ

   cái đánh trứng ― a whisk (literally, “the thing for whisking eggs”)

   cái đẹp ― beauty / the Beautiful (literally, “the beautiful thing / the thing of beauty”)

   cái cao cả ― greatness / grandeur / the Sublime (literally, “the great/grand(iose) thing”)

2. the solid bits of a broth

   Canh này thì chỉ có nước là ngon, còn cái thì dở ẹc.

   Only the liquid part of this broth tastes good, the solid bits suck.

   (literally, “As for this broth, only the liquid part is good, as for its solid bits, they suck.”)

See also

• nước (“liquid; liquid part of a broth”)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *-keːʔ (“woman; female”). Compare gái.

Attested in the title of Phùng Hưng, 布蓋大王 (MC puH kajH dajH hjwang) (SV: Bố Cái Đại Vương), with the first two characters rendering words ancestral to modern vua (“monarch”) and cái ("great, main"), equivalent to the Chinese 大王 nexts to it, i.e. the title is the phrase "great king/monarch" written in two languages.

Alternative forms

• (North Central Vietnam) cấy

Noun

cái • (丐, 𡛔, 𡡇, 匃, 個)

1. (archaic) mother

See also

Derived terms

• con dại cái mang

 

Adjective

cái • (丐, 𡛔, 𡡇, 匃, 個)

1. (of a non-human and non-avian species of animal or plant or their reproductive organs) female

   hoa cái ― carpellate flower; female flower

   nhị cái ― a pistil

2. (now chiefly in compounds) big, large, main

   sông cái ― the big river

   ngón chân cái ― the big toe

Synonyms

• gái (human); nữ; mái (bird and fish)

See also

• con gái; cô gái; đàn bà; phụ nữ; mái
• đực

Derived terms

• bèo cái
• cầm cái
• chữ cái
• giống cái
• khẩu cái
• ngón cái
• nhà cái

 

Prefix

cái (丐, 𡛔, 𡡇, 匃, 個)

1. (Northern Vietnam) Title affixed to rural young girls' names.

   Cái Bống là cái bống bang

   Khéo sảy khéo sàng cho mẹ nấu cơm

   Mẹ Bống đi chợ đường trơn

   Bống ra gánh đỡ chạy cơn mưa ròng.

   Oh, Little, Little Goby

   Sieves the rice so skillfully, so that Mommy can cook it.

   Goby's Mommy has returned from the market on a slippy road

   Goby goes help her carry the pole, to get away from the heavy rain.

Synonyms

• con; nhỏ