phù thuỷ

See also: phù thủy

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 符水 (“charmed water”).

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [fu˨˩ tʰwi˧˩]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [fʊw˦˩ tʰwɪj˧˨]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [fʊw˨˩ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾ɪj˨˩˦]

Noun

phù thuỷ

  1. any mythical or folkloric creature who practices magic or witchcraft; a witch, warlock, wizard, charmer, enchanter, magician, etc.
    mụ phù thuỷ
    a wicked witch
    thầy phù thuỷ
    a wizard
    Trường Phù thủy và Pháp sư Hogwarts
    Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Usage notes

  • Fantasy is a contemporary genre in Vietnamese literature, imported from the West, with a lack of a diverse vocabulary. Phù thuỷ and pháp sư are used for human magicians. Chú lùn for short humanoid creatures, tiên for fair elvish creatures, and quỷ for monstrous creatures.
  • Some translators consciously use phù thuỷ for female witches, and pháp sư for male wizards. The translator of the Harry Potter series used this approach.
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