kinh nguyệt

Vietnamese

Etymology

Partial calque of Chinese 月經／月经 (nguyệt kinh, literally “monthly meridian”) by reversing the position of the head element, kinh, to conform to native morphology. Compare thần kinh (literally “spiritual meridian”). This reversal accidentally makes this term homophonous with the reading of the rare Chinese 經月／经月 (kinh nguyệt, “a month”) and its derivation Japanese 経月 (keigetsu). Compare Japanese 月経 (gekkei).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kïŋ˧˧ ŋwiət̚˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kɨn˧˧ ŋwiək̚˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kɨn˧˧ ŋwiək̚˨˩˨]

Noun

kinh nguyệt

1. menstruation; menses

   Synonym: kinh