phù thuỷ

See also: phù thủy

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

phù thủy

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 符水 (“charmed water”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [fu˨˩ tʰwi˧˩]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [fʊw˦˩ tʰwɪj˧˨]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [fʊw˨˩ tʰ⁽ʷ⁾ɪj˨˩˦]

Noun

phù thuỷ

any mythical or folkloric creature who practices magic or witchcraft; a witch, warlock, wizard, charmer, enchanter, magician, etc.
mụ phù thuỷ
a wicked witch

thầy phù thuỷ
a wizard

Trường Phù thủy và Pháp sư Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Usage notes

Fantasy is a contemporary genre in Vietnamese literature, imported from the West, with a lack of a diverse vocabulary. Phù thuỷ and pháp sư are used for human magicians. Chú lùn for short humanoid creatures, tiên for fair elvish creatures, and quỷ for monstrous creatures.
Some translators consciously use phù thuỷ for female witches, and pháp sư for male wizards. The translator of the Harry Potter series used this approach.

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