vấn

See also: Appendix:Variations of "van"

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [vən˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vəŋ˦˧˥]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vəŋ˦˥] ~ [jəŋ˦˥]

Etymology 1

Possibly a doublet of quấn, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *wən(ʔ) (“coiled; to wind, bend”). Cognate with Khmer វៀន (viən, “to curl up”) and Mon ဝေန် (wèn, “to be crooked, deformed”).

Verb

vấn • (紊, 縝, 𥾸, 問, 𢴌)

1. to roll
   • 1978, Chu Lai, Nắng đồng bằng, NXB Quân đội Nhân dân, page 48:

     Sáu Hóa không ăn, ngượng ngập quay đi vấn thuốc.

     Six Hoá did not eat; he awkwardly turned around and rolled a cigarette.

2. to tie up

Derived terms

• vấn vít (“to be involved in”)
• vấn vương (“to be preoccupied with, be in love with”)

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 問 (“ask”).

Verb

vấn

1. (only in compounds) to ask

Derived terms

• tra vấn (to interrogate, to question)
• vấn đề (“problem”)