bển

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ben"

Vietnamese

Etymology

Contraction of bên (“side”) + the demonstrative ấy (“that”) in the southern dialects, with the latter manifested as the hỏi tone after monosyllabification.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓen˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓen˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓəːn˨˩˦]

Noun

bển

1. (Southern Vietnam) that side

Proper noun

bển

1. (Southern Vietnam, specifically) the United States of America