áo bà ba

Vietnamese

Một phụ nữ ở đồng bằng sông Cửu Long mặc áo bà ba.

Etymology

Analyzed as áo +‎ bà +‎ ba, lit. "shirt of the third (born) madam". According to Sơn Nam, named after the dress of the Baba Nyonya aka Peranakans (ethnic Chinese from Penang, Malaysia).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

áo bà ba

1. an ao ba ba, a traditional southern Vietnamese garment consisting of a long-sleeved, button-down silk shirt split at the waist with a scooped neck, paired with silk pants.