ngạn ngữ

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 諺語.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋaːn˧˨ʔ ŋɨ˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋaːŋ˨˩ʔ ŋɨ˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋaːŋ˨˩˨ ŋɨ˨˩˦]

Noun

ngạn ngữ

1. a saying; a proverb

Usage notes

• It is not clear what the exact difference between this and tục ngữ is, although ngạn ngữ has the tendency to be used for non-Sinosphere sayings and proverbs.