Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

cán

[kaːn˧˦] 🎙 Say it

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) handle; grip; staff; lever (especially of a tool)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tay cầm; tay nắm; cần gạt

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Examples

Cầm chặt cán dao trong tay, tôi bỗng thấy người mình như cao lớn hắn lên; […]Firmly holding the handle of the knife in my hand, I suddenly felt as if I were much taller; […]

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to flatten; to crush (especially with rolling cylindrical objects)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nén phẳng; nghiền nát

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to run over (with a vehicle)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đâm phải bằng xe

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

...bị xe cán....got run over by a car.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common questions

What does “cán” mean?

(noun) handle; grip; staff; lever (especially of a tool)

Is “cán” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time