Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

lái

[laːj˧˦]

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to control; to drive, to ride, to steer, to pilot, etc.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

kiểm soát, lái, điều khiển

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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

lái xeto drive a car

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 ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to digress, to sidetrack, or to put one's own spin on

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm lạc hướng, đánh lạc tâm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Đừng có mà từ chuyện này lái qua chuyện khác.Don't you sidetrack to other things when we have this to discuss.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) rudder

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bàn lái

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) aft; the stern portion of a boat

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

phần đuôi của thuyền

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

What does “lái” mean?

(verb) to control; to drive, to ride, to steer, to pilot, etc.

Is “lái” formal or informal?

lái is generally informal.