hiếm hoi

Vietnamese

Etymology

-oi reduplication (A tone) of hiếm.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hiəm˧˦ hɔj˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hiəm˦˧˥ hɔj˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [him˦˥ hɔj˧˧]

Adjective

hiếm hoi

1. having few or no children (after being married for a long time); sterile
2. rare; infrequently encountered