tiểu thư

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• tiểu thơ

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 小姐 (SV: tiểu tả), perhaps influenced by Chinese 雌 (thư, “female”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tiəw˧˩ tʰɨ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tiw˧˨ tʰɨ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tiw˨˩˦ tʰɨ˧˧]

Noun

tiểu thư

1. (archaic) a young mistress, the daughter of a wealthy man

See also

• lão gia (“master”)
• thiếu gia (“young master”)