mã tà
Vietnamese
Alternative forms
- ma tà
Etymology
Unknown. Perhaps from Malay mata(-mata) (“police”) or from French matraque. Compare Min Nan 馬打 (má-tâ), Thai หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [maː˦ˀ˥ taː˨˩]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [maː˧˨ taː˦˩]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [maː˨˩˦ taː˨˩]
Noun
mã tà
- (Southern Vietnam, historical) policeman during the French colonial period