nước Tàu

Vietnamese

Etymology

nước (“country”) +‎ Tàu (“Chinese”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˧˦ taw˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˦˧˥ taw˦˩]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [nɨək̚˦˥ ta(ː)w˨˩]

Noun

nước Tàu

(derogatory) China

Usage notes

This term, Tàu and người Tàu may be considered derogatory in contemporary usage. However, historically, it was not considered derogatory. The origin of Tàu (meaning boat) was first used to refer to Ming Chinese refugees who fled to Vietnam via boat when the Qing Dynasty took over China. The remnants of Ming Chinese refugees are nowadays known as the Minh Hương people.