anh trai

Vietnamese

Etymology

anh (“elder brother”) +‎ trai (“male”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔan˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

Noun

(classifier người) anh trai

1. (chiefly literary) elder brother

   Synonym: anh

Usage notes

• Unlike em (“younger sibling”) which is gender neutral, anh and chị (“elder sister”) are gender-specific. This expression is therefore redundant by nature, but it can be used for acoustic or literary eloquence because it is disyllabic.

Pronoun

anh trai

1. (rather childish) you (used for a male who the speaker assumes is somewhat older than them)

Interjection

anh trai

1. (colloquial, friendly, not intimate, speakers are strangers) young man

   Đường này đi thẳng là tới Thủ Đức hả anh trai?

   Am I correct in assuming that this road leads to Thủ Đức, young man?

Usage notes

• The "young man" sense in theory can be used by speakers of any age, but in real life, most often used by people who is older than the "young man".

See also

• chị gái