Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 魔女 (“witch”). The syllable ma is often associated with its non-Sino-Vietnamese meaning (which is "ghost"), hence the common misapplication of the term.

Alternatively, simply from a compound of ma ‎(“ghost”) +‎ nữ ‎(“female”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [maː˧˧ nɨ̞̠˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [maː˧˧ nɨ̞̠ɰ˧˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [maː˧˥ nɨ̞̠ɰ˨˦]