phù chú

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 符咒, composed of 符 (“charm”) and 咒 (“incantation”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [fu˨˩ t͡ɕu˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [fʊw˦˩ t͡ɕʊw˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [fʊw˨˩ cʊw˦˥]

Noun

phù chú

1. a talisman; amulet (especially one inscribed)
2. a spell; incantation
3. (Taoism, collectively) talismans and incantations