đầu têu
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
đầu (“head”) + têu; the second syllable is probably a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 頭 (SV: đầu), borrowed rather recently from a Sinitic lect. Compare Tōngshān Gan 頭/头 (tɛuA2), Méixiàn Hakka 頭/头 (tʰeu¹¹).
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɗəw˨˩ tew˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɗəw˦˩ tew˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɗəw˨˩ tew˧˧]
Noun edit
(classifier kẻ, tên, đứa) đầu têu
- (often derogatory) ringleader, boss