nhậu

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɲuːʔ (“to drink”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɲuuʔ (“to suck up, to drink”); cognate with Koho nyu (“to drink alcohols”), Samtao ɲɯ́ʔ, Teressa nyūḵ, Santali ᱧᱩ (ñu, “to drink”).

It originally meant "to drink" and might accept, as direct object, any drinkable liquid; "nhậu" ('bibere / to drink') and "nhậu nước" ('aquam potare / to drink water') were attested in Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1772; 1838).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ɲəw˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ɲəw˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ɲəw˨˩˨]

Verb

nhậu • (昭, 𠶕, 𠻼)

1. (colloquial) to drink (alcohol); to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres