Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

sãi

[saːj˦ˀ˥] 🎙 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) Buddhist monk, bonze

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nhà sư

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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

Examples

sãi chùaBuddhist monk

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

(noun) Buddhist temple's warden

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giám sát viên chùa

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

Lắm / Nhiều sãi không ai đóng cửa chùa.Everybody's business is nobody's business (literally, “[There are] many wardens [yet] none closes the temple's door”).

Con vua thì lại làm vua; Con sãi ở chùa lại quét lá đa.A monarch's son shall become a monarch; A son of a temple's warden shall sweep banyan leaves.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) warden, caretaker (in general)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

người quản lý, người trông coi

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

sãi nhà thờchurch's warden

sãi mõwooden fish striker, temple block striker

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) short for sãi đò (“pilot, riverboatman, ferryman (possibly obsolete)”)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

người lái đò

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Common questions

What does “sãi” mean?

(noun) Buddhist monk, bonze

Is “sãi” formal or informal?

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

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