anh trai

Vietnamese

Etymology

anh (“elder brother”) +‎ trai (“male”)

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔan˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]

• Audio (Ho Chi Minh City):

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Noun

(classifier người) anh trai • (英𤳆)

1. (chiefly literary) Synonym of anh (“elder brother”)

Usage notes

• Unlike em (“younger sibling”) which is gender neutral, anh and chị (“elder sister”) are gender-specific. This expression is therefore redundant by nature, but it can be used for acoustic or literary eloquence because it is disyllabic.

Pronoun

anh trai • (英𤳆)

1. (rather childish) Synonym of anh (“you, that brother over there who I'm assuming is a little older than me”)

See also

• chị gái