lài
[laːj˨˩]
The English word jasmine is translated into Vietnamese as lài or nhài.
Meaning: plant of genus Jasminum (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| lài | [laːj˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [laːj˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| nhài | [ɲaːj˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ɲaːj˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
These terms refer to the plant of the genus Jasminum. The word lài is frequently used in the compound trà lài to refer to jasmine tea.
Did you know?
- The word nhài shares a deep linguistic lineage with the Sanskrit word malli, which means 'jasmine'. It likely traveled through Chinese into Vietnamese via the term mạt lị.
- Vietnamese tea culture uses a unique process where fresh nhài flowers are layered with tea leaves to infuse them with scent rather than just brewing the flowers.
- The word nhài is frequently used in Vietnamese poetry and folk songs to symbolize the modest and virtuous nature of a woman.
Examples in context
- trà làiJasmine teaThis example shows how to refer to jasmine tea using lài.
- Tôi rất thích Hoàng Lan.I really like jasmine.
- Em mua hoa lài ở đâu vậy?Where did you buy jasmine flowers?
- Hoa lài rất thơm.The jasmine flowers are very fragrant.
- Tôi thích mùi hoa lài.I like the scent of jasmine.
Example conversation
Chi and Nam are walking through a garden.
- ChiNam nhìn xem, hoa lài thơm quá!Nam look, the jasmine is so fragrant!
- NamĐúng vậy, mùi hương rất dễ chịu.That's true, the scent is very pleasant.
- ChiChi muốn mua một chậu về trồng.Chi wants to buy a pot to plant.
- NamAnh sẽ giúp em chọn chậu đẹp.I will help you choose a beautiful pot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jasmine” translations and entries lài, nhài, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nhài, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
