ngoại giao

Vietnamese edit

Alternative forms edit

ngoại-giao

Etymology edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from 外交, composed of 外 (“outside”) and 交 (“to exchange”), from Japanese 外交 (gaikō), either clipped from earlier 外国交際 (gaikoku kōsai, ngoại quốc giao tế, literally “intercourse with foreign countries”), a Meiji-era coinage, or merely repurposed from Literary Chinese 外交 (wàijiāo). Literary Chinese 外交 (wàijiāo) meant something to the effect of "international relations," rather than the purposeful management of such relations that constitutes "diplomacy" conveyed by Japanese 外交.

The "foreign affairs" sense was borrowed from Chinese 外交 (wàijiāo), as in 外交部 (Ngoại giao bộ, “Ministry of Foreign Affairs”). The Japanese government uses Japanese 外務 (gaimu), as in 外務省 (Gaimushō), and its Vietnamese cognate, ngoại vụ, is used for provincial Sở Ngoại vụ (“Departments of Foreign Affairs”) subordinate to Bộ Ngoại giao (“the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”). Compare South Korean 외교부 (Oegyobu).

Pronunciation edit

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˧˨ʔ zaːw˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩ʔ jaːw˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩˨ jaːw˧˧]

Noun edit

ngoại giao

diplomacy
nhà ngoại giao ― a diplomat

Đừng có ở nhà suốt ngày vậy. Phải tập ngoại giao cho quen đi.
"Ngoại giao" cái con khỉ ! Đi ăn tiệc sinh nhật mà ngoại giao cái nỗi gì !
Don't shut yourself in all the time. You gotta learn to be diplomatic.
"Diplomatic" my ass! What does going to someone's birthday party have to do with diplomacy!
(of a central ministry or ministry-level department) foreign affairs
Coordinate term: ngoại vụ

Bộ Ngoại giao
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs