Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

khôn

[xon˧˧] 🎙 Say it

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adjective) wise; smart

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trí tuệ; thông minh

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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

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

(adjective) clever; street-smart

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Lanh lợi; thông minh đường phố

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adjective) sapient

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Có trí tuệ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adverb) impossibly

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

không thể

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

nỗi buồn/giận khôn nguôieverlasting sadness/anger

Late 19th century, Nguyễn Khuyến, “Bạn Đến Chơi Nhà (My Friend's Come Visiting My Home)” Ao sâu nước cả, khôn chài cá; Vườn rộng rào thưa, khó đuổi gà. The pond is so deep and large, it's impossible to catch fish; The garden is so broad, the hedges so sparse, it's hard to chase chicken.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common questions

What does “khôn” mean?

(adjective) wise; smart

Is “khôn” formal or informal?

khôn is generally formal.

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