thây ma

Vietnamese

Etymology

thây (“corpse”) +‎ ma (“ghost”).

Attested already in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), although apparently then meant merely "corpse" or "the dead"; later adopted to the concept of "zombie".

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tʰəj˧˧ maː˧˧]

Noun

(classifier con) thây ma

1. (obsolete) corpse; dead body
2. (occult) undead
3. (by extension) zombie

   Synonym: xác sống