tú bà

Vietnamese

Etymology

Literally, “Lady Tú” (秀婆); a pimp solliciter in The Tale of Kieu (19th cent.).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tu˧˦ ʔɓaː˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʊw˨˩˦ ʔɓaː˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʊw˦˥ ʔɓaː˨˩]

Noun

tú bà

1. (slang) female pimp

   Synonym: má mì