ngã

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋaː˨˩˦]

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

ngã • (我)

1. (chiefly Northern Vietnam, of a person) to fall on the ground while standing on it in a tripping, toppling or collapsing motion; compare vấp (“to trip”), rơi (“to fall from a height”, of a person or object) and sụp đổ (“to fall or collapse”, of a building or system)

   Synonyms: té, bổ

   thanh ngã ― the tone as in the word ngã

   ngã gục ― to collapse

   gục ngã ― to fall from grace

   sa ngã ― to descend into depravity or decadence

   ngã ngửa ― to fall with one's back against the ground

ngã

1. (linguistics) Short for thanh ngã.

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *d₁ngah (“crossroads”).

ngã

1. (almost always in compounds with an integer greater than 2) an intersection

   ngã ba ― a three-way intersection; a fork

   ngã tư ― a crossroads

   ngã năm/sáu/bảy

   a five/six/seven-way intersection

   ngã tư Bảy Hiền

   the Bảy Hiền crossroads

   ngã năm Chuồng Chó

   the "Dog Cage" five-way intersection

   ngã sáu Cộng Hoà

   the Cộng Hoà six-way intersection

• The number attached is the number of exits, not the number of streets crossed. Therefore a crossroads is called ngã tư because it has four exits.
• Only ngã tư is correct, not *ngã bốn.
• Not to be confused with ngả (“way”).

• (an intersection): ngã đường, giao lộ