cái gì
Vietnamese
Etymology
cái (“something”) + gì (“what; whatever”)
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [kaːj˧˦ zi˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [kaːj˨˩˦ jɪj˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [kaːj˦˥ jɪj˨˩]
Pronoun
cái gì
- something
- ai, cái gì, con gì
- the who, the what thing, the what animal
Usage notes
Cái gì is an example of using the pronoun gì with a classifier, cái being the most generic classifier, which can be used for emphasis. Other combinations including con gì and quả gì.
Interjection
cái gì
- what; what the heck