bánh bèo

Vietnamese

Bánh bèo.

Duckweed leaves.

Etymology

From bánh (“cake; pastry”) +‎ bèo (“duckweed”), so named as the rice cake is shaped like the leaves of duckweed.

The slang sense derives itself from the soft, rubbery texture of the cake.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɓɛw˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɓɛw˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɓɛw˨˩]

Noun

bánh bèo

1. bánh bèo (small steamed rice cake popular in central Vietnam)
2. (figurative, slang) a girl who is overly girly, weak and dependent, or an effeminate man

See also

• bánh xèo