buồn cười
[ʔɓuən˨˩ kɨəj˨˩]
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Funny, laughable — the Northern word; Southerners say mắc cười.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Gây cười — từ miền Bắc; trong Nam nói mắc cười.
Adjective
Where it’s used:
Used
Miền Bắc · Northern Vietnam
Examples
Chuyện buồn cười thế mà nó không nhếch mép.Such a funny story, and he didn’t even crack a smile.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Equivalents & related
Common questions
What does “buồn cười” mean?
Funny, laughable — the Northern word; Southerners say mắc cười.
Is “buồn cười” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“mắc cười” (Tiếng Việt) — same meaning · other region.