lẻ

See also: Appendix:Variations of "le"

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *lɛh.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [lɛ˨˩˦]
• Homophone: lẽ

Adjective

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

1. odd (not divisible by two)

   số lẻ

   an odd number

   hàm số lẻ

   an odd function

2. (informal, of a number) being a number so irrational it's very difficult to express it in whole numbers or roots of them and to make subsequent calculations easier

   Không được rồi cô ơi. Em chia ra số lẻ lắm.

   It's not good ma'am. I got a very ugly result from the division.

3. (of a banknote) of a low value less than or equal to 20,000 dongs

   tiền lẻ

   change

4. (chiefly Southern Vietnam) Signifies the “zero(s)” in numbers such as 805 and 2001.

   một trăm lẻ ba ― 103 [i.e. one hundred and three]

   hai ngàn không trăm lẻ một ― 2001 [i.e. two thousand and one]

Antonyms

• chẵn

Derived terms

Derived terms

• đơn lẻ
• lẻ loi (từ láy)
• lẻ tẻ
• tỉnh lẻ

 

Adverb

lẻ • (礼, 禮, 𥛭)

1. (informal) alone rather than with other people

   Thằng khỉ! Hôm qua mày đánh lẻ hả?

   Hey bastard! Did you go without us yesterday?

2. (of selling or buying) unwholly, for example, when buying a few cigarettes rather than a whole pack

   Antonym: sỉ

   cửa hàng bán lẻ

   a retail store