gì

See also: Appendix:Variations of "gi"

Middle Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• jì

Etymology

Attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects. Doublet of chi, most likely a secondary borrowing from the Central dialects.

The modern Central form chi is not a reflex of this form, but from a form that did not undergo lenition.

Pronunciation

• (Đông Kinh) IPA^(key): [ʝi˨˩]

Pronoun

之, 咦, 夷, 芇 (gì)

1. what; whatever

   lo gì sự ấy

   come what may

2. anything

   Chảng có đí gì sốt.

   There isn't anything.

Descendants

• Vietnamese: gì

References

• De Rhodes, Alexandre (1651), “gì”, Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum.

Namuyi

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡi˥˧]
• Hyphenation: gì

Verb

gì

1. (transitive) to collect

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡi˥˧]
• Hyphenation: gì

Verb

gì

1. Prospective form of gè

References

• Štěpán Pavlík (2017) The Description of Namuzi Language‎^[1], Prague: Charles University (PhD Thesis), page 29
• Li Jianfu (2017) A Descriptive Grammar of Namuyi Khatho spoken by Namuyi Tibetans‎^[2], Victoria: La Trobe University (PhD Thesis), page 164; 240

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• chi (no lenition)
• (Internet slang, text messaging) giề
• (abbreviation) z

Etymology

From Middle Vietnamese gì. Related to chi; cognate with Muong chi.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [zi˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [jɪj˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [jɪj˨˩]
• Homophone: dì

Pronoun

gì • (之, 咦, 夷, 芇)

1. what; whatever
2. anything

Usage notes

• The interrogative pronoun gì denotes a choice which is to be made from an indefinite set of things or people. Note that if gì follows a classifier, the classifier may be omitted in the reply.

Đây là quyển gì? ― What kind of book is this?

Đây là (quyển) từ điển. ― This is a dictionary.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• gì thì gì
• hèn gì
• khác gì
• không có gì
• làm gì
• mùi gì
• mùi mẽ gì
• ra gì
• thiếu gì
• tội gì
• việc gì

 

Interjection

gì

1. An interrogative expression nearly equivalent to “What?”

Usage notes

The interrogative can be used for anything from its basic use of disbelief and surprise to frustration and fear, depending on context, tone and stress, just like the English interrogative “What?”.

See also

• chi