tàu

See also: tau, Tau, Tàu, tãu, tău, ta'u, and täü

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taw˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taw˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ta(ː)w˨˩]

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 艚.

Noun

(classifier con, chiếc) tàu

1. vehicle or craft, usually large, designed for navigation in or on water, in air, on rails, or through outer space
   1. Short for tàu thuỷ (“ship (on water)”).
   2. Short for tàu vũ trụ (“spaceship”).

      tàu Con Thoi ― the Space Shuttle

   3. Short for tàu hoả (“train”).

      say tàu ― trainsick

   4. Short for tàu ngầm (“submarine”).

      tàu Nautilus ― the Nautilus

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tàu • (𬟠 - 蓸, 槽)

1. a large leaf
   • Sâu đầu đen gây hại làm tàu dừa cháy khô từ những lá già bên dưới.

     The Coconut black-headed caterpillar harmfully makes the coconut tree's large leaves dry-out from the older leaves underneath.

Etymology 3

See Tàu.

Adjective

tàu • (艚)

1. Alternative letter-case form of Tàu (“Chinese”)

Usage notes

Except in common compound words such as táo tàu, the capitalized spelling Tàu is used. Note, however, that Tàu, particularly người Tàu, may be considered derogatory.

Derived terms

• mực tàu (China ink)
• phố tàu (Chinatown)
• táo tàu (Chinese jujube)