Hmong Word-a-Day
4 January 2005
Rag rhi: with vigor, to do something with great energy despite one's physical condition.
Pronunciation: dra (breathy tone) tree [more r, less t] (no tone)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Tus neeg khiav khiav rag rhi.
(The horse ran with vigor, unaware of it's fatigue.)
- Koob txais tau lub pob ces nws khiav rag rhi lawm lauj!
(Kong caught the ball and then took off running with all his might!)
- Kuv tua tsis raug, ces kauv dhia rag rhi lawm.
(I missed the barking deer (with my gun), and so it took of running for it's life (with full vigor).)
- Kuv mas kuv nyob rag rhi xwb os.
(Me, I am in good health and full of vigor. )
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
TP Nyiaj Pov
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Hmong Word-a-Day
12 January 2005
Noo: moist, damp.
Pronunciation: nong (no tone)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Av noo noo.
(The ground is damp.)
- Txhob kov mas ntawv tseem noo noo me ntsis.
(Don't touch it, the paper is still a little damp.)
- Nws ntub noo zaw.
(She is still a little wet, not yet dry.)
- Lub caij pos huab, tas puas tsav yam noo tas.
(During the cloudy season, everything is damp and wet. )
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
TP Nyiaj Pov
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Hmong Word-a-Day
13 January 2005
Tswm ciab: a wax candle.
Pronunciation: jeu (glottal stop) gee-uh (high tone)
Classifier: tus
Similar words:
tus tswm roj - a grease/oil candle
tsau tswm - a resin candle
yaj fuaj tswm - a match (less common)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Maiv yuav ob tug tswm ciab tom taj laj.
(Mai bought two candles at the store.)
- Nplaim tswm ciab twb hlob zuj zus.. 1
(The candle flame grows larger gradually...)
- Taws tswm ciab.
(To light the candle.)
- Zes hluav taws rau ob tug tswm ciab kom cig kaj ntug.2
(Light the two candles so that there will be light. )
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. Ntxawg Lauj
2. Hu Tus Nyab Tshiab Plig
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Hmong Word-a-Day
14 January 2005
Nthee: to scramble, make brown in oil.
Pronunciation: n-tang (no tone)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Thaum sawv ntxov nws nthee plaub lub qe rau lawv noj.
(In the morning, he scrambled four eggs for them to eat.)
- Ib chim, koj puas kam nthee qe thiab ua mij rau kuv noj nas?
(In a while, will you scramble some eggs and make some noodles for me?)
- Ncuav nthee / nthee ncuav.
(Steamed rice cakes / to brown rice cakes in oil.)
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Hmong Word-a-Day
18 January 2005
Tsham tiam: a long sack with handles often used for carrying rice.
Pronunciation: cha (glottal stop) dee-uh (glottal stop)
Classifier: txoj
Similar Words:
hnab - a sack
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Ntsej tsham tiam.
(The handle of the sack.)
- Lauj Pov khuam ib tsham tiam txhuv mus puag pem Rooj Dub.
(Lao Pao carried a sack of rice all the way up to Drong Du (Black Mountain.)
- Koj mus ntsib nws seb nws puas kam peb siv nws ob peb txoj tsham tiam.
(Go visit him and see if we can use a couple of his sacks.)
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Hmong Word-a-Day
19 January 2005
Tsuas thwj: to do something solely for one's own profit or benefit; thinking only of one's own interests.
Pronunciation: jew-uh (low tone) teu (high falling tone)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Koj tsuas thwj koj tau zoo, koj tsis nco txog peb. 1
(You are just doing it for your own happiness and benefit, you won't remember us.)
- Koj tsuas thwj koj tau noj nyiaj ntau. 2
(You are just doing it to earn alot of money.)
- Nag hmo, Pov nyuam qhuav tuaj xwb! Nws tsuas thwj nws tau koob meej nto moo lug ces nws yuav rov mus tsev.
(Pov just barely arrived yesterday! He is just here for the glory and then he is heading back home.)
- Koj tsuas thwj koj hnav zoo cia peb khaub hlab! 3
(You are only thinking of yourself wearing those fancy clothes, while we are in rags!)
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. TP Nyiaj Pov
2. TP Nyiaj Pov
3. TP Nyiaj Pov
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Hmong Word-a-Day
21 January 2005
Khauj tsiav: to give someone a "knuckle sandwich"; to rap or hit someone on the head with one's knuckles.
Pronunciation: cow (high falling tone) jee-uh (low rising tone)
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Koj mag ib khauj tsiav lov?.
(You got a knuckle sandwich, huh?)
- Kuv mas kuv ntshai laus Tsab heev. Nws ua khauj tsiav ntaus me nyuam.
(Me, I am really afraid of old Cha. He gives kids knucle sandwiches.)
- Yog menyuam yaus mas, kuv yeej xuas ib khauj tsiav rau thiab mam qhia kom thim xav.1
(If it was a little child, then I would just give him a knuckle sandwich and tell him to think about it / reconsider.)
- Koj ntxim khauj tsiav kawg li!
(You really deserve a knuckle sandwich!)
Here is a excerpt of a poem (zaj paj lus) using khauj tsiav:
Ib nyuag qhov, ob nyuag qhov los mag khauj tsiav kiag
Kuv nim xav rau nruab siab tias xyov kuv puas yuav tsheej neeg tiag
Luag noj yam qab rau ntsuag li kuv no ntsia
Nim ua rau kuv nqi nqi aubncaug nrog viag
To read the rest of the poem, click here
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. Paj Tsawb
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Hmong Word-a-Day
24 January 2005
Plau: to run away; to depart with haste; to sneak away.
Pronunciation: blou as in ouch (no tone)
Similar words:
khiav lawm: to run off
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Thaum txog lub caij ua hauj lwm mas nws plau lawm.1
(When it is time to work, he runs off.)
- Tus tub sab tso tes plau khiav tawm peb lub zos.
(The thief snuck away from our village.)
- Thaum kuv nyob Nplog teb kuv tsis kawm ntawv li. Kuv ruam heev! Thaum lwm tus me nyuam mus kawm ntawv mas kuv plau lawm mus
nuv ntse tim lub pas dej xwb naj!
(When I lived in Laos, I didn't do much studying. I was stupid! When other kids went to school, I took off and went fishing at the pond!)
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. TP Nyiaj Pov, E. E. Heimbach
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Hmong Word-a-Day
25 January 2005
Moj coos: a pear.
Pronunciation: mah (high falling tone) gyong (low tone)
Classifier: txiv
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- De txiv moj coos thaum mos me ntsis thiab tsw qab lawm.
(Pick pears when they are soft and smell sweet.)
- Thaib, koj mus ntxuav txiv moj coos los noj.
(Thai, go wash the pears for us to eat.)
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Hmong Word-a-Day
26 January 2005
Ti tes: urgent, imminent.
Pronunciation: dee (no tone) day (low tone)
Similar Words: ti tes ti taw
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Nws muaj ntau yam hauj lwm ti tes. 1
(He has alot of urgent work to do.)
- Zaum no ti tes cog nplej lawm. 1
(Now it is urgent to plant rice.)
- Yag hais nws txoj hauj lwm ti tes ti taw uas nws pab tsis tau.
(Ya said he has urgent business to do that inhibits him from helping.) 2
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1.TP Nyiaj Pov (Dictionnaire Hmong-Francais, 1979)
2. Mus Thov Tub Phij Laj
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Hmong Word-a-Day
27 January 2005
Suaj kaum: finished, completed.
Pronunciation: shoo-uh (high falling tone) gow (glottal stop)
Similar Words:
tas - finished
tiav - completed
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Cov hauj lwm no suaj kaum lawm. 1
(This work is finished.)
- Hnub no peb suaj kaum teb ua kom tas. 2
(Today we finished the field work.)
- Lub hli no tas mas sawv daws kawm ntawv suaj kaum.
(At the end of this month everyone will be finished with school.)
- Pobzeb suaj kaum qhov no tso nws txhiaj li mus.
(When Paoze finishes this he will then go.)
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. Chinnagon Thao
2.TP Nyiaj Pov (Dictionnaire Hmong-Francais, 1979)
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Hmong Word-a-Day
28 January 2005
Ceeb laj: difficult, hard, arduous.
Pronunciation: gyeng (high tone) la (high falling tone)
Similar Words:
nyuaj - difficult
ceeb laj tis - hard, difficult
laj - difficult
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Thaum pib kawm tsav tsheb mas ceeb laj ua!
(When beginning to learn to drive, it's difficult!)
- Thiab yeej ceeb laj txhais tiag li, vim hais tias peb Hmoob cov lus tsis muaj txhij txhua. 1
(And it is always difficult to translate it well, because our Hmong language doesn't contain words of every type.)
- Kuv yeej kam nrog koj mus tab sis ntshe yuav ceeb laj nqa cov khoom ntawd rov qab tuaj ntawm no.
(I am more than willing to go with you, but I'm afraid that it will be difficult to carry all that stuff back here.)
- Thaum nplua nuj tuaj lawm puas yuav ceeb laj nrhiav tau chaw cia nyiaj? 2
(When wealth and fortune comes, will it be difficult to find a place to store your money?)
- Peb yuav ceeb laj nrhiav tau hais tias lub hauv paus uas siv peb tej kevcai-txujci no yog los li cas los tiag. 3
(It will be difficult for us to find the true origin of our culture and where it came from.)
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. Lysao Lyfoung
2. Lysao Lyfoung
3. Yeeb Thoj
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Hmong Word-a-Day
31 January 2005
Twm zeej: single, sole, alone, unique (in some instances).
Pronunciation: deu (glottal stop) zeng - z as in azure (high falling tone)
Similar Words:
nyob ib leeg - alone, single
twm - alone, single
twj cuab - isolated, solitary
Lus Piv txwv (examples):
- Ntshe kuv yuav nyob ib leeg, ua ib tug neeg twm zeej, vim kuv paub kuv yuav nrhiav tsis tau ib tug li koj lawm! 1
(I'm afraid I will just be by myself, live alone, because I know I won't be able to find another like you!)
- Txawj Zoo yeej tseem nyiam ua hauj lwm twm zeej.
(Txawj Zoo has always liked to work alone.)
- Muaj ib tsev neeg Hmoob nyob twm zeej, tsis muaj kwv tij neej tsa nyob ze, ces lawv txawm ua lawv xwb.
(There once was a Hmong family that lived in remote place, without relatives nearby, that did their own thing.)
- Nws yog ib tug tub twm zeej. Txawm tias nws tseem yaus nws txawj xav thiab txawj hais.
(He is a unique young man. Although he is still young, he is able to ponder and thoughtfully speak his mind.)
Ua tsaug ntau rau:
1. New Breed band
