Vietnamese
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [sam˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [sam˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [sam˧˧]
- Homophone: săm
Etymology 1
From Proto-Vietic *tʃəm (“to tattoo, to poke small holes”).
Verb
xăm
- to tattoo
- hình xăm ― a tattoo
See also
Etymology 2
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 籤 (SV: thiêm). Compare tăm, thăm.
Noun
(classifier que) xăm
- oracle; fortune stick (in temples)
- xin xăm ― to requests answers from a sacred oracle lot