Nhỉ (Par)

Situations

S1: Seeing a beautiful scene in Đà Lạt, Nam says to Hùng:

Phong cảnh ở đây đẹp quá nhỉ!
(The scenery here is beautiful, isn't it?)

Nam expects Hùng to agree with his remark.

S2: Hùng reminds Nam of a birthday. Nam remembers:

Ừ nhỉ! Thế mà anh quên mất.
(Oh, that's right! How could I have forgotten?)

Nhỉ is used here to agree with the first speaker.

S3: Nam did something embarrassing. His wife says sarcastically:

Đẹp mặt nhỉ!
(Embarrassing, isn't it?)

Nhỉ increases the nuance of irony or criticism.

S4: A beautiful girl enters the room. Nam asks Hùng:

Ai thế nhỉ?
(Who's that?)

Nhỉ makes the question intimate.

S5: Nam is worried about something he said and asks himself:

Trời ơi, mình đã nói gì nhỉ?
(Oh my God, what was I saying?)

Nhỉ is used in a self-questioning/narrative way without requesting an answer.

Definition

Nhỉ, as a particle, is placed at the end of an interrogative or exclamatory sentence. In exclamatory sentences, it is used to seek or express agreement, or to criticize. In interrogative sentences, it makes the question intimate or narrative.

  • nhỉ and ha, há, hén: In S1, S2, and S3, nhỉ can be interchanged with ha, há, or hén in the Southern dialect.
- Phong cảnh ở đây đẹp quá nhỉ / ha!
- Đẹp mặt nhỉ / ha!
- Ừ nhỉ / há!