sữa

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sɨə˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂɨə˧˨] ~ [sɨə˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂɨə˨˩˦] ~ [sɨə˨˩˦]
• Homophone: sửa (Southern Vietnam)

• Audio (Hà Nội):

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• Audio (Saigon):

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From Proto-Vietic *p-rah (Ferlus, 2007). Cognate with Muong khã, Nguôn [Cổ Liêm] rả.

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 𫶷, composed of 巴 (MC pae) + 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: ba lã), 𱜗, composed of 巨 (MC gjoX) + 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: cự lã) and 呂 (MC ljoX) (modern SV: lã).

• (North Central Vietnam) trã/trạ (in lects where /*C-r/ > ‹tr-›, with ngã-nặng merger)
• (North Central Vietnam) sã (in lects where /*-a-/ is preserved)

sữa • (𣳪, 𣷱, 𣷲)

1. milk (white liquid produced by female mammals)

   váng sữa ― milk cream

   sữa bò ― cow milk

   sữa bột ― powdered milk

   bò nái sữa ― milk cow

   răng sữa ― baby tooth

   sữa vú; sữa mẹ ― breast milk

   bú sữa; nặn sữa; mớm sữa ― to suckle

   căng sữa ― full breast

   dứt sữa ― to wean

   bóp sữa ― to prepare the udder before milking

   miệng hôi mùi sữa

   [someone's] mouth having some milk left (evoking a smell)

   Sữa mẹ là nguồn dinh dưỡng tốt nhất cho sự phát triển của trẻ nhỏ.

   [Breast] milk is the optimal nutrient for the development of their infants.

2. milk (white liquid from a vegetable source)

   sữa đậu nành ― soy milk

   sữa hạnh nhân ― almond milk

3. (slang) milk (semen)

   Bố đi mua sữa. (contextual)

   He cummed.

• (white liquid from a vegetable source): nước

So called because of its milky sap. Semantically, compare English milkwood.

(classifier cây) sữa

1. milkwood (Alstonia scholaris)
2. Alstonia spp.

• (Alstonia scholaris): hoa sữa, mò cua

• J[ean] F[rançois] M[arie] Génibrel (1898) “sữa”, in Dictionnaire annamite-français [Traditional Han: 大越國音漢字法釋集成] (in French), 2nd edition, Saigon: Imprimerie de la Mission à Tân-Dinh, page 712