bắc

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bac"

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 北 (“north”). Compare bấc (as in gió bấc (“northern wind”)).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓak̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓak̚˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓak̚˦˥]
• Homophones: Bắc, bắt, bấc, bất

• Audio (Hồ Chí Minh City):

  (file)

Adjective

bắc

1. north; northern

Prefix

bắc

1. north; northern

   Bắc Ai-len ― Northern Ireland

Coordinate terms

• (compass points) ^{(Category: vi:Compass points)}

tây bắc	bắc	đông bắc
tây		đông
tây nam	nam	đông nam

Verb

bắc

1. to place things so that you can climb them to reach a higher spot

   bắc thang ― to place a ladder so you can climb it

   Bắc thang lên mà hỏi ông trời !

   Go get a ladder and ask the heavenly lord! / How in the whole wide world should I know!?

   bắc ghế lên bàn ― to put a chair on top of a table so you can stand on it

2. to place a pot or pan onto a stove, or to take it off it

   bắc nồi xuống ― to take the pot off the stove