quỷ tha ma bắt

Vietnamese

Etymology

quỷ (“demon”) +‎ tha (“to carry”) +‎ ma (“ghost”) +‎ bắt (“to snatch; to capture”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kwi˧˩ tʰaː˧˧ maː˧˧ ʔɓat̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kwɪj˧˨ tʰaː˧˧ maː˧˧ ʔɓak̚˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wɪj˨˩˦ tʰaː˧˧ maː˧˧ ʔɓak̚˦˥]

Phrase

quỷ tha ma bắt

1. goddamn; curse; screw

   Quỷ tha ma bắt !

   Goddammit!

   Quỷ tha ma bắt mày đi !

   Screw you!

   (literally, “I wish demons take you away!”)

See also

• ma quỷ