Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
ngoại. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ngoại, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ngoại in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ngoại you have here. The definition of the word
ngoại will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ngoại, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 外 (“outside”). Doublet of ngoài. Compare Chinese 外 (wài, “outside; maternal”), Korean 외(外) (oe, “outside; maternal”). A woman once married is considered belonging to a different family, hence the "inside" father's side and "outside" mother's side. See also xuất giá (“to get married”, literally “to "get out" and get married”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
ngoại
- (rare) Synonym of ngoài (“except for”)
Adjective
ngoại
- (usually in compounds) foreign
hàng ngoại- foreign goods; imported goods; goods bought abroad
- related to the mother's side of the family
- bên ngoại ― (people on) one's mother's side of the family
- bà ngoại ― a maternal grandmother
- quê ngoại ― mother's birthplace
Noun
ngoại
- (usually in compounds) everything foreign
- sính ngoại ― to love everything foreign, such as foreign goods or foreign language words, especially in an ignorant or tacky way
- (Southern Vietnam, used as a kinship "pronoun") maternal grandparent
- Ngoại ơi! Con đến rồi nè! ― Grandpa/Grandma! I'm here!
- Ngoại ơi! Con chích rồi nhé! ― Grandpa/Grandma! I got my (Covid-19) vaccine!
Derived terms
Antonyms