không

Etymology 1
Borrowed from.

Numeral

 * 1) zero

Etymology 2
From, from ; cognate with 🇨🇬.

Noun

 * 1)  river

Etymology
Borrowed from. This is now the main negator in Vietnamese and, in formal writing, virtually the only negator; however, see the list of other negators at the end of the entry.

The grammaticalization of không into a negative particle began in the 17th century and coincided with the numerous arrivals of Western businessmen in Vietnam. Because the quantifier "zero" is often used in the context of business, a relationship between "zero" and the verbal particle không was established. The development from "empty, vacant" into the numeral "zero" can also been seen in many 🇨🇬 varieties, as well as 🇨🇬.

In the beginning of the 20th century, không replaced the original chief negator of native Vietnamese origin, coinciding with the establishment of French colonial rule over Vietnam.

Adverb

 * 1) not (negates meaning of verb)
 * 2) idly, without doing anything
 * 1) idly, without doing anything

Verb

 * 1) not have; to lack

Adjective

 * 1) without anything added

Interjection

 * 1)  no
 * 2)  yes

Usage notes

 * The interrogative expression có … không forms in most cases a yes-no question and encircles the verbal or adjectival predicate. Có is placed in front of the verb or adjective, and không comes at the end of the sentence. Such questions are "open" questions in the sense that there is no expectation of the behalf of the speaker that the answer will be "yes" or "no". The word order is: subject + có + predicate + không? In informal communication, có can be omitted. Such yes-no questions regularly permit the use of the repetition of có as an affirmative answer form.
 * The interrogative expression có phải … không also forms a yes-no question and encircles the nominal predicate and the predicate expressed by, creating a yes-no question that tends to expect an affirmative answer. When encircling the nominal predicate, the equative (or linking) verb is used. When encircling the predicate expressed by của, then là is optional.
 * For an affirmative response to a có phải … không question, vâng is used at the beginning of the response. The negative reply may begin with either không or không phải.
 * The interrogative expression có phải … không also forms a yes-no question and encircles the nominal predicate and the predicate expressed by, creating a yes-no question that tends to expect an affirmative answer. When encircling the nominal predicate, the equative (or linking) verb is used. When encircling the predicate expressed by của, then là is optional.
 * For an affirmative response to a có phải … không question, vâng is used at the beginning of the response. The negative reply may begin with either không or không phải.
 * For an affirmative response to a có phải … không question, vâng is used at the beginning of the response. The negative reply may begin with either không or không phải.
 * For an affirmative response to a có phải … không question, vâng is used at the beginning of the response. The negative reply may begin with either không or không phải.

Numeral

 * 1)  zero

Usage notes

 * This morpheme is often reduced to a tone-bearing syllabic nasal in quick colloquial speech, especially in expressions such as.