thây ma

Vietnamese

Etymology

thây (“corpse”) +‎ ma (“ghost”).

Attested already in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), although apparently then meant merely "corpse" or "the dead"; later adopted to the concept of "zombie".

Pronunciation

  • (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]
  • (Huế) IPA(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]
  • (Saigon) IPA(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]

Noun

(classifier con) thây ma

  1. (obsolete) corpse; dead body
  2. (occult) undead
  3. (by extension) zombie
    Synonym: xác sống
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