trinh thám

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 偵探 (“private detective”). Compare Chinese 偵探 / 侦探 (trinh thám, “detective”), Japanese 探偵 (tantei, thám trinh, “detective”), Korean 탐정 (tamjeong, “detective”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕïŋ˧˧ tʰaːm˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʈɨn˧˧ tʰaːm˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʈɨn˧˧ tʰaːm˦˥]

Noun

trinh thám

1. mystery fiction
2. (military) scouting or reconnaissance

   máy bay trinh thám

   a reconnaissance aircraft