Buzz
1. Sạo or Xạo: Which Spelling is Correct?
Answer: Xạo is the correct spelling.
Although 'x' and 's' sound quite similar, 'xạo' and 'sạo' often confuse many people. However, using the wrong one can compromise the beauty of the Vietnamese language and lead to misunderstandings among listeners or readers. Therefore, it's crucial to use the correct spelling.
* What does Xạo mean?
Xạo is an adjective, meaning vulgar, untrue, or inappropriate.
Examples:
- He's talking xạo.
- You're speaking xạo.
- He's talking xạo and you believe him.
- Don't believe him, he's talking xạo.
- That's too much xạo.
* What is Sạo?
Sạo is a homonym of the word xạo but it's not officially recognized in the Vietnamese dictionary and it doesn't have a meaning. However, due to regional accents, especially in the Northern region, where tones are pronounced heavier, listeners often interpret it as 's' instead of 'x'.
2. Common Vietnamese Word Pairs: Right or Wrong?
Common Vietnamese Word Pairs Easily Confused
Apart from sao and xạo, there are countless pairs of words starting with consonants like 'x' and 's', 'd' and 'gi', 'ch' and 'tr'... that also cause much confusion. For example:
- Sáng lạng or xán lạn => Answer: Xán lạn.
- Sếp or xếp => Answer: Both 'sếp' and 'xếp' are correct ('sếp' refers to a manager, commander, or supervisor; while 'xếp' means to arrange something neatly in a certain order).
- Xuất xứ or xuất sứ => Answer: Xuất xứ.
- Xảy ra or sảy ra => Answer: Xảy ra.
- Chở or trở => Answer: Both 'chở' and 'trở' are correct, depending on the context ('chở' means to transport somewhere by vehicle, train, etc.; while 'trở' means to reverse the position, turn back, go back to the original direction or position).
- Di dời or di rời => Answer: Di dời.
- Che dấu or che giấu => Answer: Che giấu.
- Chú trọng or trú trọng => Answer: Chú trọng.
- See more: Sếp or xếp
Sạo or xạo has been explained by Mytour above. Although in pronunciation, it's hard to distinguish between 's' and 'x', in written language, you need to pay attention to writing correctly so that when read, people can understand what you have written.
