hoặc

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 或 (“or, either”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwak̚˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hwak̚˨˩ʔ]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [wak̚˨˩˨]

Conjunction

hoặc

1. or
2. either

   Hoặc chịu phạt hoặc báo phụ huynh, chọn đi.

   Either you accept the penalty or I will have to inform your parents of what you did, your choice.

Usage notes

• In the sense of “or”, hoặc conveys a sense of exclusivity of options (if A, then not B, and vice versa), and is rarely used in interrogative sentences. However, nowadays the distinction is not as clear, thus hay and hoặc can be seen used interchangeably in many situations.

See also

• hay