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kho
/xo˧˧/
dry
Mùa đông, da tay tôi hay bị khô.
In winter, my hands often get dry.
general
Lacking moisture or liquid; not wet
Quần áo phơi ngoài nắng lâu sẽ bị khô.
Clothes left in the sun for too long will dry out.
Cơn khát làm miệng tôi khô rang.
The thirst made my mouth parched.
Often describes skin, air, or objects that have lost moisture naturally. Can also imply 'uninteresting' in informal contexts (e.g., 'chuyện khô khan').
general
To dry something (transitive verb)
Mẹ phơi quần áo cho khô.
Mom hangs the clothes to dry.
Nắng gió khô hết cả sơn trên tường.
The sun and wind dried out all the paint on the wall.
Common in daily household contexts (e.g., drying clothes, dishes).
culinary
Dried (of food or ingredients)
Tôi mua mít khô về nấu chè.
I bought dried jackfruit to make sweet soup.
Mua nho khô hay nho tươi đều được.
You can buy either dried or fresh grapes.
Used for preserved foods like dried fruit, herbs, or mushrooms.
Pro Tip
Distinguishing 'khô' from 'khô khan'
'Khô' means physically dry (e.g., 'da khô'), while 'khô khan' often describes something dull or uninteresting (e.g., 'cuốn sách khô khan').
Gold Rule
Context matters for 'khô'
Always check if 'khô' refers to moisture (literal) or boredom (figurative). Example: 'trận đấu khô' = boring match vs. 'quần áo khô' = dry clothes.
Word Origin
From Proto-Vietic *kɔːʔ, Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɔːʔ 'dry'. Related to Muong *kho* and other Austroasiatic languages.
Usage Notes
1) 'Khô' is the base form; 'khô' + adjective (e.g., 'khô ráp') intensifies the dryness. 2) In Northern Vietnam, 'khô' can colloquially mean 'boring' (e.g., 'bài học khô'). 3) Avoid confusing with 'khổ' (suffering) or 'khó' (difficult).
Từ Điển Việt Anh