# d a o u

d đ / ao au âu – 2x3 = 6

*âo is invalid.*

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="40" valign="top"></th><th width="57" valign="top"></th><th width="56" valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td valign="top"> </td><td valign="top">d</td><td valign="top">đ</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">a</td><td valign="top"><p>dao</p><p>dau</p></td><td valign="top"><p>đao</p><p>đau</p></td></tr><tr><td valign="top">â</td><td valign="top">dâu</td><td valign="top">đâu</td></tr></tbody></table>

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## Words you should learn — 12

*Ordered by how likely you will hear & say them.*

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="184" valign="top"></th><th width="55" valign="top"></th><th valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td valign="top">where</td><td valign="top">đâu</td><td valign="top">Extremely common, <em>bạn đi đâu?</em></td></tr><tr><td valign="top">bean, <em>rarely</em> nut</td><td valign="top">đậu</td><td valign="top">Extremely common in menus</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">strawberry/ mulberry</td><td valign="top">dâu</td><td valign="top">Very common, mostly used as <em>strawberry</em> instead of <em>mulberry</em>.</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">peach</td><td valign="top">đào</td><td valign="top">Common flavour at smoothie bars.</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">head, first, extremity</td><td valign="top">đầu</td><td valign="top">Very common</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">mark, sign, tone</td><td valign="top">dấu</td><td valign="top">Very common, especially talking about spelling &#x26; pronunciation</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">oil</td><td valign="top">dầu</td><td valign="top">Very common</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">pain</td><td valign="top">đau</td><td valign="top">Used in most words for aches and pains.</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">knife</td><td valign="top">dao</td><td valign="top">Common</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">a stroll around</td><td valign="top">dạo</td><td valign="top">Quite common, <em>hãy đi dạo</em></td></tr><tr><td valign="top">island</td><td valign="top">đảo</td><td valign="top">Many islands around Viet Nam and the world.</td></tr><tr><td valign="top">fight, battle</td><td valign="top">đấu</td><td valign="top">Normal word but less commonly heard</td></tr></tbody></table>

***

## All words

*Order:*&#x20;

* *dao, đao,*&#x20;
* *dau, đau,*&#x20;
* *dâu, đâu*

### dao

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="61"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>dao</td><td>knife (clsf: con)</td></tr><tr><td>dáo</td><td><a href="https://glosbe.com/vi/en/d%C3%A1o">Glosbe</a></td></tr><tr><td>dào</td><td>full, abundant, rich, ample, bounteous</td></tr><tr><td>dảo</td><td><a href="https://glosbe.com/vi/en/d%E1%BA%A3o">Glosbe</a></td></tr><tr><td>dão</td><td> /</td></tr><tr><td>dạo</td><td>to walk, stroll</td></tr></tbody></table>

### đao

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="63"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>đao</td><td>Chinese sabre, doublet of <em>dao</em></td></tr><tr><td>đáo</td><td>unique, original – <em>độc đáo</em></td></tr><tr><td>đào</td><td>peach (and many derived fruit names)</td></tr><tr><td>đảo</td><td>island (clsf: hòn); to turn upside-down</td></tr><tr><td>đão</td><td>leader, official</td></tr><tr><td>đạo</td><td>from “way” (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%81%93#Vietnamese">道</a>): code of conduct, religion; province (historical &#x26; foreign placenames). Đạo Đức Kinh.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### dau

*Overall, it seems like ⟨au⟩ after ⟨d⟩ is broadly invalid.*

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="65"></th><th valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>dau</td><td valign="top">/</td></tr><tr><td>dáu</td><td valign="top">?</td></tr><tr><td>dàu</td><td valign="top">term, length (or not? Maybe only <a data-footnote-ref href="#user-content-fn-1">tiếng Tày</a>)</td></tr><tr><td>dảu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr><tr><td>dãu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr><tr><td>dạu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr></tbody></table>

### đau

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="60"></th><th valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>đau</td><td valign="top">pain, sore, ache</td></tr><tr><td>đáu</td><td valign="top"><p>Thi đáu – compete, competition.</p><p>Trận đáu – match.</p><p>Giải đáu – tournament.</p><p>Chiến đáu – fight.</p><p>Đau đáu – common in translations, not sure what it means. (<a href="https://glosbe.com/vi/en/%C4%91%C3%A1u">Glosbe</a>) Possibly it is a reduplication of đau as pain. Yes, it is on Wiktionary as <em>restlessly, anxiously, worriedly</em>. (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%C4%91au_%C4%91%C3%A1u">Wiktionary</a>)</p></td></tr><tr><td>đàu</td><td valign="top">Seems to exist primarily as a misspelling of đầu, occurring especially often in two-part words.</td></tr><tr><td>đảu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr><tr><td>đãu</td><td valign="top">Mutation of đâu (where)? <a href="https://glosbe.com/vi/en/%C4%91%C3%A3u">Glosbe</a></td></tr><tr><td>đạu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr></tbody></table>

### dâu

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="63"></th><th valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>dâu</td><td valign="top">Mulberry (dâu ta, <em>our mulberry</em>) → strawberry (dâu tây, <em>western mulberry</em>). Strawberry is now more popular so most mentions of dâu probably refer to strawberry.</td></tr><tr><td>dấu</td><td valign="top">Mark, sign, diacritic (ký hiệu); tone (thanh điệu, thanh (âm thanh)).</td></tr><tr><td>dầu</td><td valign="top">Oil. Also, alternative pronunciation of dù &#x26; dẫu, <em>although (mặc dù)</em>.</td></tr><tr><td>dẩu</td><td valign="top">Perhaps valid as a phonic variant of something else? <a href="https://glosbe.com/vi/en/d%E1%BA%A9u">Glosbe</a></td></tr><tr><td>dẫu</td><td valign="top">Variant pronunciation of dù/dầu in mặc dù (<em>although</em>).</td></tr><tr><td>dậu</td><td valign="top">Rooster? And a Chinese-origin given name.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### đâu

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="56"></th><th valign="top"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>đâu</td><td valign="top">Where. Part of the demonstrative series with <em>đây, đấy, đó</em>.</td></tr><tr><td>đấu</td><td valign="top">Battle, fight. Many derived terms (common: chiến đấu).</td></tr><tr><td>đầu</td><td valign="top">Head (also <em>trốc</em>). An end, extremity; First.</td></tr><tr><td>đẩu</td><td valign="top">Only in compound words. “Dipper” from <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%96%97#Vietnamese">斗</a>.</td></tr><tr><td>đẫu</td><td valign="top"> /</td></tr><tr><td>đậu</td><td valign="top">Bean; nut. <em>Many</em> derived terms, including things that western food culture does not necessarily deem to be a bean or a nut.</td></tr></tbody></table>

[^1]: Tay language
