lời

Etymology 1
From.

Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as, composed of , simplified from , and (modern SV:  ) and  (modern SV:  ).

Noun

 * 1) word; utterances
 * 2)  words; lyrics
 * 3)  a verse
 * 1)  a verse

Classifier

 * 1) indicates utterances

Etymology 2
.

Noun

 * 1) profit, interest

Etymology 3
See. This is the form from some coastal dialects of Northern Vietnam. Contrary to the claim in the reference below, except for, all the variants of this word emerged independently: the chief Central-Southern form , and now also the chief written form, resulted from the retroflexion of the cluster, the inland Northern form  emerged from the fricativization of  cluster characteristic of these dialects, and the coastal Northern form lời is the result of the loss of the labial element. In certain minor coastal Northern and Central dialects with merger, the form  is a further development from the retroflexed form. The form lời had already almost disappeared in its native range by the early 20th century, probably first due to the spread of from the more prestigious inland dialects, then due to the spread of the Central-Southern form  due to literacy.

Like (as in ), this form used to be associated with Christianity, due to the missionary activities in the southern coastal provinces of the Red River delta.