ngần

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ngan"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋən˨˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋəŋ˦˩]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋəŋ˨˩]

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 垠 (SV: ngân).

Noun

ngần

quantity; measure; (this, that) much, many
limit; bound; moderation

Derived terms

vô ngần

Etymology 2

Verb

ngần • (銀)

(not used in isolation) to hesitate

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 銀 (“silver”, SV: ngân).

Adjective

ngần

(in compounds) silvery white; very white
- 1820, 阮攸 [Nguyễn Du], compiled by Liễu Văn Đường, 傳翹 [Truyện Kiều], published 1866, lines 1191-1192:
  惜(Tiếc)台(thay)𥪞(trong)價(giá)𤽸(trắng)銀(ngần)
  典(Đến)風(phong)塵(trần)拱(cũng)風(phong)塵(trần)如(như)唉(ai)
  What a pity for such a girl, purer than snow, and whiter than silver!
  Here she was now, in this dusty and windy world, undergoing the same misfortunes of life as those which had fallen upon others.

Derived terms

cá ngần
trắng ngần