khinh khí

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 氫氣, composed of 氫 (“hydrogen”) and 氣 (“gas”). The Chinese character 氫／氢 (khinh) is composed of 气 (khí, chemical radical for "gassy" elements) + 輕／轻 (khinh, “lightweight”), due to the lightness of hydrogen.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [xïŋ˧˧ xi˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kʰɨn˧˧ kʰɪj˨˩˦] ~ [xɨn˧˧ xɪj˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kʰɨn˧˧ kʰɪj˦˥] ~ [xɨn˧˧ xɪj˦˥]

Noun

khinh khí

1. (obsolete) hydrogen (molecular hydrogen)

   Synonym: khí hiđro

See also

• khinh khí cầu
• dưỡng khí
• thán khí