ngươi

See also: người and Người

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋɨəj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋɨj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋɨj˧˧]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(m)ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with người (“person”).

Pronoun

ngươi • (𤾰, 𥇹)

1. (archaic or literary) you

Usage notes

• The corresponding first person pronoun is ta.
• In archaic contexts, this word is used to refer to someone of lower social status, and it has a somewhat condescending connotation.
• Such a condescending connotation is also utilized by translators to convey hostility between characters in foreign fiction works in place of mày (because mày, for some reason, just doesn't feel quite "right", especially if used by a younger character to refer to an older one), although some translators may use mi instead. Some use both combinations of ta-mi/ngươi for characters of significant age difference, and tao-mày for characters of around the same age.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *-ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ŋaaj; cognate with Bahnar ngai (“pupil”) and Ruching Palaung ngāī (“eye, face”).

Noun

(classifier con) ngươi • (𥇹, 𥊤)

1. pupil (the hole in the middle of the iris of the eye)