See also: cau, câu, cấu, cẩu, čau, cậu, and ĉaŭ

Vietnamese edit

 
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Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from (ball; sphere).

Noun edit

(classifier trái, quả) cầu (, )

  1. (sports) a jianzi shuttlecock
    đá cầuto play jianzi
  2. (badminton) a badminton shuttlecock
  3. (sports) Short for cầu mây (sepak takraw ball).

See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

 
cầu

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese (bridge, SV: kiều). Doublet of kèo.

The “latrine; lavatory” sense was so named since latrines were, in pre-modern times, characteristically a wooden construction on the water. Compare Malay jamban (latrine) < jambatan (bridge).

Noun edit

(classifier cây) cầu ()

  1. a bridge (construction or natural feature that spans a divide)
    Muốn sang thì bắc cầu kiều.
    Muốn con hay chữ thì yêu lấy thầy.
    If you want to cross a river, build a bridge.
    If you want your kids to be educated, be kind to their teacher.
  2. (Southern Vietnam) Short for nhà cầu (latrine; lavatory).
Derived terms edit
Derived terms

Etymology 3 edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from .

Verb edit

cầu

  1. to ask for; to demand
    Không ai cầu mày làm vậy cả.
    No one asked you to do that.
  2. to pray that something will happen; compare ước (to wish)
    Tao cầu (trời) cho cả nhà mày bị xe cán chết !
    I pray (to heaven) your whole family dies in a car crash!
Derived terms edit
Derived terms

Noun edit

cầu

  1. (economics) demand
    Antonym: cung