hú vía

Vietnamese

Etymology

hú (“to howl to call upon or summon”) +‎ vía (“spirit”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hu˧˦ viə˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hʊw˨˩˦ viə˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [hʊw˦˥ viə˦˥] ~ [hʊw˦˥ jiə˦˥]

Adverb

hú vía

1. (of being scared or frightened) very much

   Synonym: hết hồn

   sợ hú vía

   to be scared shitless

Adjective

hú vía

1. (of an incident) causing fright

   bị một phen hú vía

   to go through a terrifying experience

Interjection

hú vía

1. used after being very startled, scared or frightened; whew; phew