cháu

See also: chau, chầu, châu, and Châu

Min Nan

For pronunciation and definitions of cháu – see 走 (“to go; to walk; to go on foot; to run; to jog; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 走).

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Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cuuʔ. Cognate with Muong [Bi] chảu (“son-in-law”), Khmer ចៅ (caw), Bahnar sŏu/sâu, Pacoh achau, Khasi 'siew.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaw˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaw˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ca(ː)w˦˥]

Noun

cháu • (𡥙, 𫲤, 𫲰)

1. a grandchild, a nephew or a niece

Usage notes

• There is no distinction between "grandchild", "nephew" and "niece". For foreign speakers, the age of the person in question could be a clue to the exact status of the cháu they're talking about. For instance, someone young or middle-aged is more likely to have a niece or a nephew than a grandchild. That said, there's also the possibility a young person may have a distant cousin whom they call their "grandchild".

Derived terms

Derived terms

• cháu chắt
• con cháu

 

Pronoun

cháu

1. (chiefly Northern Vietnam) I/me, your nephew, niece or grandchild

   Synonym: con

2. (Northern Vietnam) I/me, someone who's not your child and who's a lot younger than you

   Synonym: con

3. (chiefly Northern Vietnam) you, my nephew, niece or grandchild

   Synonym: con

4. (Northern Vietnam) you, someone who's not my child and who's a lot younger than me

   Synonym: con

5. he/him/she/her, the child under my guardianship (my child or grandchild) who we're talking about

   Synonym: cháu nó