bánh bèo
Vietnamese
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/B%C3%A1nh_b%C3%A8o.jpg/220px-B%C3%A1nh_b%C3%A8o.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/L_gibba3.jpg/220px-L_gibba3.jpg)
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 (small steamed rice cake popular in central Vietnam)
- (figurative, slang) a girl who is overly girly, weak and dependent, or an effeminate man