chỉ

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɪj˧˨]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [cɪj˨˩˦]

• Audio (Hà Nội):

  (file)

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

From Proto-Vietic *cis (“thread”), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ks(i)ʔ or *ksih (“string; cord; rope; thread”). Compare North Central Vietnamese chỉn, Muong chỉl.

• (North Central Vietnam) chỉn (in dialects with *-s > *-lʰ > -n^C)

(classifier sợi) chỉ • (帋, 黹, 紙, 䊼, 𥿗)

1. (sewing) thread
2. (sewing, obsolete) weft; woof

   Antonym: canh (“warp”)

Sino-Vietnamese word from 只. Displaced bui and chỉn.

chỉ

1. only

From Proto-Vietic *cih (“to point”); probably related to

Sino-Vietnamese word from 指 (“finger”).

chỉ • (扯, 扺, 指)

1. to point

   Synonym: trỏ

   • 2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, “Cánh đồng bất tận” (chapter 2), in Cánh đồng bất tận, NXB Trẻ:

     Chị hỏi "Tắm ở đâu, mấy cưng ?". Tôi chỉ xuống kinh.

     She asked, "Where can I bathe, sweethearts?" I pointed down the canal.

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root chị in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

chỉ

1. (Southern Vietnam) she; her

Borrowed from a neighbouring or trading language, probably Malay ci (“mace”) or Teochew 錢 / 钱 (tsîⁿ, “mace”), ultimately from Chinese 錢 / 钱. Cognate with English chee (“Chinese unit of weight”). Doublet of tiền.

chỉ

1. (chiefly gold or silver trading) a weight unit equal to 3.75 grams

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 止

Sino-Vietnamese word from 紙 (“paper”).

chỉ

1. (colloquial) clipping of tín chỉ (“college credit”)

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 址

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 旨

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 趾

Sino-Vietnamese word from 枳.

chỉ

1. trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata)

chỉ

1. Sino-Vietnamese reading of 芷