thầy

• (Northern Vietnam, obsolete in writing) thày

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 舍賴 (MC syaeH lajH) (modern SV: xả lại), ultimately from Old Chinese 師 (OC *srij) (B-S) (SV: sư).

The written form thày used to be common in the Northern dialects, now mostly eradicated in writing, although the pronunciation itself likely still remains in less mainstream Northern dialects.

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˨˩]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

thầy • (柴, 偨)

1. male teacher

   Synonym: thầy giáo

   Coordinate term: cô giáo

2. (dated, now literary) teacher

   Muốn sang thì bắc cầu kiều
   Muốn con hay chữ thì yêu lấy thầy

   If you want to cross a river, build a bridge
   If you want your children educated, love (and marry) a teacher.

3. (Northern Vietnam, somewhat dated) father

   thầy mẹ/u ― parents

4. (only in compounds) Buddhist monk; expert

   thầy cãi ― lawyer

   thầy lang ― practitioner of East Asian alternative medicine

• → Khmer: ថី (thəy)

thầy

1. I/me, your male teacher
2. you, my male teacher
3. he/him, that male teacher we're talking about
4. (Northern Vietnam, somewhat dated) I/me, your father
5. (Northern Vietnam, somewhat dated) you, my father
6. (Northern Vietnam, somewhat dated) he/him, your/my father

• mẹ; u (“mother”)
• cô (“female teacher”)