đồng hồ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 銅壺, composed of 銅 (“copper”) and 壺 (“pot”), from Chinese 銅壺 / 铜壶 (tónghú, “waterclock”, literally “copper pot”)

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɗəwŋ͡m˨˩ ho˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɗəwŋ͡m˦˩ how˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɗəwŋ͡m˨˩ how˨˩]

Noun

(classifier cái, chiếc) đồng hồ

1. a clock or watch

   đồng hồ báo thức ― an alarm clock

   đồng hồ mặt trời ― a sundial

2. a meter (device for measuring water, electricity, etc. consumption or kilometers that have been traveled)

   đồng hồ nước ― a water meter

   đồng hồ cát ― an hourglass

Derived terms

• đồng hồ quả quýt (“pocket watch”)
• đồng hồ sinh học (“biological clock”)
• đồng hồ tính cước (“taximeter”)
• đồng hồ vạn năng (“multimeter”)
• thợ đồng hồ (“watchmaker”)