Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

cậy

[kəj˧˨ʔ] 🎙 Say it

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to rely on; to pin one's hopes (on)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

phụ thuộc vào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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

Examples

𢭄㛪㛪拱𠹾𠳒𡎥蓮朱姉𥛉耒仕疎I'm pinning my hopes on you, little sister, will you accept my word? Please be seated, your elder sister will bow to you ere she speaks.

穉𢚁吒𫅷𢚁𡥵When young, one relies on one's father; when old, one relies on one's child.

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 pride oneself (on); to plume oneself (on); to congratulate oneself (on)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tự hào

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

cậy là mình [with adjective]to bank on oneself being [with adjective]

cậy là mình [with verb]to bank on that one [with verb]

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) date plum (Diospyros lotus)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

loài hoa quả

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) alternative form of cạy

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

dạng thay thế của cạy

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Common questions

What does “cậy” mean?

(verb) to rely on; to pin one's hopes (on)

Is “cậy” 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