nghèo nàn
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
nghèo + nàn, the second syllable is non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 難 (SV: nan), also seen in phàn nàn.
Aside from these two compounds, nàn seems to be obsolete. The Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838) lists further compounds gặp nàn and phải nàn, both obsolete.
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ŋɛw˨˩ naːn˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ŋɛw˦˩ naːŋ˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ŋɛw˨˩ naːŋ˨˩]
Adjective edit
- poor; needy; poverty-stricken (generally speaking)