quỷ sứ

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• quỉ sứ

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 鬼 (“ghost; demon”) and 使 (“envoy; messenger”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kwi˧˩ sɨ˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kwɪj˧˨ ʂɨ˨˩˦] ~ [kwɪj˧˨ sɨ˨˩˦]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wɪj˨˩˦ ʂɨ˦˥] ~ [wɪj˨˩˦ sɨ˦˥]

Noun

quỷ sứ

1. (occult, mythology) a type of errand demon in the world of the dead

   nghịch như quỷ (sứ)

   (of a child) very mischievous

   Nhà tôi có hai thằng quỷ sứ.

   There are two little "demon boys" in my family.