ngửa

See also: ngứa, ngừa, and ngựa

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *t-ŋah (“to lie on the back”); cognate with Chut [Rục] təŋah¹. Compare ngả.

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋɨə˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋɨə˧˨]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ŋɨə˨˩˦]

Adverb

ngửa • (語, 𠑕, 𫤋)

face-up
Antonym: sấp

nằm ngửa ― to lie face-up; to lie supine

Verb

ngửa • (語, 𠑕, 𫤋)

to turn upwards
Synonym: ngửng

ngửa/ngửng mặt ― to orientate your face upward from its current orientation

Ngửa mặt lên coi nào !
(Stop staring at the ground and) look at me!
- 1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 3, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:
  Mỗi lần trời chớp, tôi đều ngửa mặt nhìn lên pho tượng với một nỗi lo sợ và tò mò không cưỡng được.
  Every time there was lightning, I would look up at the statue with uncontrollable fear and curiosity.

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