mã tà

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

ma tà

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps from Malay mata(-mata) (“police”) or from French matraque. Compare Min Nan 馬打／马打 (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

(Southern Vietnam, historical) policeman during the French colonial period

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