khải hoàn

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 凱 (“victorious”) and 還 (“return”). Compare Chinese 凱旋／凯旋 (kǎixuán, “to return in triumph”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [xaːj˧˩ hwaːn˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kʰaːj˧˨ hwaːŋ˦˩] ~ [xaːj˧˨ hwaːŋ˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kʰaːj˨˩˦ waːŋ˨˩] ~ [xaːj˨˩˦ waːŋ˨˩]

Verb

khải hoàn

1. (rare) to return from a victorious battle

   (ca) khúc khải hoàn / khải hoàn ca ― a song celebrating victory

See also

• khải hoàn môn (“triumphal arch”)