ngoại vụ
Vietnamese edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Sino-Vietnamese word from 外務, composed of 外 (“outside”) and 務 (“affairs”), from Japanese 外務 (gaimu, “ministerial foreign affairs”), clipped from 外国事務 (gaikoku jimu, ngoại quốc sự vụ, literally “foreign country affairs”). Compare Japanese 外務省 (Gaimushō, Ngoại vụ tỉnh) and North Korean 외무성 (Oemuseong), both of which are ministerial agencies.
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ŋwaːj˧˨ʔ vu˧˨ʔ]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩ʔ vʊw˨˩ʔ]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩˨ vʊw˨˩˨] ~ [ŋwaːj˨˩˨ jʊw˨˩˨]
Noun edit
- (historical or of a provincial department) foreign affairs
- Antonym: nội vụ
- Coordinate term: ngoại giao (central)
- sở ngoại vụ ― a department of foreign affairs
Usage notes edit
Only used for Vietnam's provincial foreign affairs departments, as in Sở Ngoại vụ tỉnh Hà Tĩnh (“the Foreign Affairs Department of Hà Tĩnh Province”). For ministries or ministry-level departments, use ngoại giao instead. For example, Japan's 外務省 (Gaimushō, Ngoại vụ tỉnh) and North Korea's 외무성 (Oemuseong) are called Bộ Ngoại giao, and so is Vietnam's.