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˧˧]

Noun

(classifier người) anh trai

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

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