hà cớ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 何故 (“why/for what reason”, SV: hà cố).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [haː˨˩ kəː˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [haː˦˩ kəː˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [haː˨˩ kəː˦˥]

Adverb

hà cớ

1. why; for what reason; what is the purpose

   Vậy thì hà cớ làm sao chúng ta còn quá nặng nề với việc phải thi...

   So then for what reason are we still extremely burdened with needing to take exams...

   Hà cớ vào showbiz làm gì để bị chê cười...

   Why enter show business in order to be ridiculed...

Usage notes

This term is frequently, but not always, followed by gì or chi (typically for emphasis).

See also

• hà cớ gì (“why in the world”)