bê bò

See also: bebo

Vietnamese

Etymology

bê ("B/b") + bò.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓe˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧ ʔɓɔ˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩]

Noun

bê bò

1. (colloquial) B/b; an expression for making clear the difference between b and p, due to the fact that the phoneme /p/ does not exist as an onset consonant in Vietnamese native phonology; literally "'b' as in 'bò'"

Related terms

• pê phở, bê phở