vòi hoa sen

Vietnamese

Lotus pod.

Etymology

From vòi (“faucet”) +‎ hoa (“flower”) +‎ sen (“lotus”), from the resemblance of the showerhead to a lotus pod. Compare Thai ฝักบัว (fàk-buua), Khmer ផ្កាឈូក (phkaa chuuk), Lao ບົວ (būa), all meaning “shower” and involving a reference to lotus.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vɔj˨˩ hwaː˧˧ sɛn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vɔj˦˩ hwaː˧˧ ʂɛŋ˧˧] ~ [vɔj˦˩ hwaː˧˧ sɛŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vɔj˨˩ waː˧˧ ʂɛŋ˧˧] ~ [jɔj˨˩ waː˧˧ sɛŋ˧˧]

Noun

vòi hoa sen

1. shower (device); showerhead

   Synonyms: vòi sen, gương sen, hương sen