lên

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word lên. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word lên, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say lên in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word lên you have here. The definition of the word lên will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oflên, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *leːɲ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *luŋ ~ *luəŋ ~ *ləŋ (above, on) (reconstruction in Shorto, 2006); related to trên. Cognate with Muong liênh, Chut liːŋ¹, Samre liɲ ("to go up; on"), Khmer ឡើង (laəng) and Semelai leŋ ("upwards, upstream"). Munda comparanda includes Juang aliŋ-ta ("above, from above, on; up, upon") and Korku liɲ ("up, above").

Pronunciation

Verb

lên (, , 𨑗, 𨕭, 𨖲, 𫧧, 𬨠, 𬨺)

  1. to go up, come up, rise
  2. to be or reach a certain age
  3. to get on (a vehicle)
    thẻ lên máy bayboarding pass
    lên xeto get on/in the car
  4. to go to (a more developed area)
    lên thành phốto go to the city
  5. (of a machine) to be activated

Related terms

Derived terms

See also

Adverb

lên (, , 𨑗, 𨕭, 𨖲, 𫧧, 𬨠, 𬨺)

  1. upwards

Usage notes

  • Lên is used after an adjective to indicate an upward development of a character or state of a person or thing. The adjective needs not to have positive connotation, although they often do. Similar usage is seen with đi, usually used with adjectives with more neutral or negative connotation.
Dạo này trông mập lên hử?It seems you have been gaining weight lately, huh?
Nhanh lên! Trễ bây giờ.Quick! We might be late.