ca trù

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 歌 (“song”) and 籌 (“bamboo card”). So called because bamboo cards were formerly sold to listeners, who would award them to their favorite singers, who then redeemed the cards for money.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kaː˧˧ t͡ɕu˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kaː˧˧ ʈʊw˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kaː˧˧ ʈʊw˨˩]

Noun

ca trù

1. genre of traditional singing from northern Vietnam

   Synonyms: hát cô đầu, hát nhà trò, hát nhà tơ, hát ả đào, hát nói