Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

kẻ

[kɛ˧˩]

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

Sense 1

Meaning · English

(noun) individual, person, man; specifically, put before a verb/adjective to mean a specific type of people

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

黎臣固仉忠貞鄭顒𨖅𦥃北庭𤍊呌There was a loyal man among the officials of the Lê dynasty. Trịnh Ngung went to Beiting to make a plea.

几𫜵𫅜𧘇，𡗶者帝𥙩福。Those that do good, heaven rewards them with fortune.

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 ↗

Meaning · English

(noun) Indicates a country or a region

𠫾賖𱞋女仕眞，吝橘典𧵆厨几耶州。Going far, worrying again that his foot might slip, he wandered about until he came near a temple at Gia Châu.

Em là con gái kẻ Đằng, Bên Tề, bên Sở, biết rằng theo ai?I am a woman of the Teng country, Qi or Chu, who should I follow?

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Meaning · English

What does “kẻ” mean?

(noun) individual, person, man; specifically, put before a verb/adjective to mean a specific type of people

Is “kẻ” formal or informal?

kẻ is generally informal; connotation: offensive or derogatory to many.