làm sao

Vietnamese

Etymology

làm +‎ sao.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [laːm˨˩ saːw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [laːm˦˩ ʂaːw˧˧] ~ [laːm˦˩ saːw˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [laːm˨˩ ʂaːw˧˧] ~ [laːm˨˩ saːw˧˧]

Adverb

làm sao

1. why; how
2. (literary) how; so

   To làm sao! ― How big!

Usage notes

• The second usage is quite literary and often comes off as awkward in normal conversation, where the use of intensifiers such as dữ, ghê, thế, vậy is more common.