trái

See also: Appendix:Variations of "trai"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaːj˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʈaːj˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʈaːj˦˥]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *k-laːjʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *klaj(ʔ) ~ *klaaj(ʔ) (“to change”), cognate with Muong tlải, Tho [Cuối Chăm] klaːj³, Khmer ក្លាយ (klaay, “to change”), Mon ကၠဲာ (klai, “to translate”). Compare also Thai กลาย (glaai), Lao ກາຍ (kāi).

Adjective

trái • (賴, 債)

1. (often with bên) left (side, direction)

   bên trái ― on the left

   Rẽ/Quẹo (tay) trái.

   Turn left.

2. reverse (side)

   mặt trái của tấm vải ― the reverse of a piece of cloth

3. (rare) morally wrong, unreasonable, illogical

   phân rõ phải trái, đúng sai ― to distinguish between right and wrong

Synonyms

• (left): tả (only in certain contexts); chiêu
• (reverse): sau
• (morally wrong, unreasonable): trái lẽ, trái lý, trái lí

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “left”): phải; đăm
• (antonym(s) of “reverse”): phải, trước, chính

Derived terms

• ngang trái
• oan trái
• phải trái
• tay trái
• trái khoáy
• trái lại
• trái ngược
• trái tay
• từ trái nghĩa

Adverb

trái • (賴)

1. inside out

   Synonym: ngược

   Lộn trái quần áo để phơi.

   Turn the clothes inside out and hang them out to dry.

Preposition

trái • (賴)

1. contrary to, despite

   nắng trái tiết ― unseasonably sunny (literally, “sunny despite the climate”)

   trái nghĩa ― antonymous

   trái với quan niệm thông thường ― contrary to popular belief

Derived terms

contrary to

• trái lẽ
• trái lệ
• trái lý, trái lí
• trái mắt
• trái mùa
• trái nghĩa
• trái phép
• trái tai
• trái tính
• trái ý

Related terms

• đối lập

Etymology 2

From Proto-Vietic *p-leːʔ, from Proto-Austroasiatic *pleʔ (“fruit”). Cognate with Muong Bi tlải, Khmer ផ្លែ (phlae), Bahnar plei, Pacoh culay, Mang pløː¹. Attested as blái in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

This is originally the Southern form. The North Central form trấy is still extensively used in these dialects. The Northern forms giái (inland dialects), lái (as in lái tim, coastal dialects) are also attested, but now are mostly displaced by Sino-Vietnamese quả when used as a stand-alone noun and by Southern trái when used as part of compounds (as in Trái Đất (“the Earth”)).

Alternative forms

• (Northern Vietnam, inland dialects, probably obsolete) giái
• (Northern Vietnam, coastal dialects, probably obsolete) lái
• (North Central Vietnam) trấy

Noun

trái • (𢁑, 𣛤, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞)

1. (chiefly South Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) piece of fruit

   ăn trái (cây) ― to eat fruit

2. (informal) land mine

   gài trái ― to place land mines

Synonyms

• (fruit): trái cây, quả
• (land mine): mìn

Classifier

trái (𢁑, 𣛤, 𣡙, 𣡚, 𧀞)

1. (South Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Refers to anything round, such as a piece of fruit.

   trái chôm chôm ― rambutan

   trái lựu đạn ― grenade

   trái núi ― mountain

   trái banh ― football

   trái cây ― a piece of fruit

Synonyms

• (anything round): quả

Derived terms

anything round

• trái cây
• Trái Đất
• trái phá
• trái tim

Etymology 3

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

Noun

trái • (瘵)

1. smallpox

   lên trái ― to come down with smallpox

Synonyms

• (smallpox): đậu mùa

Derived terms

• trái rạ

Etymology 4

Sino-Vietnamese reading of various Chinese characters.

Romanization

trái

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 債
2. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 責

References

• "trái" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)
• Lê Sơn Thanh, "Nom-Viet.dat", WinVNKey (details)
• Nôm Lookup Tool, Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation