bánh bèo

Vietnamese

Bánh bèo.

Duckweed leaves.

Etymology

From bánh (“cake; pastry”) +‎ bèo (“duckweed”), so named as the rice cake is shaped like the leaves of duckweed.

The slang sense derives itself from the soft, rubbery texture of the cake.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓajŋ̟˧˦ ʔɓɛw˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓɛɲ˦˧˥ ʔɓɛw˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓan˦˥ ʔɓɛw˨˩]

Noun

bánh bèo

1. bánh bèo (small steamed rice cake popular in central Vietnam)

   Bà Ba béo bán bánh bèo bên bờ biển.

   She sells seashells by the seashore.

   (literally, “The fat Mrs. Ba sells bánh bèo by the seashore.”)

2. (figurative, slang) a girl who is overly girly, weak and dependent, or an effeminate man

See also

• bánh xèo