Why is the Western deck called 'tu le kh'?

The Western deck is also known as "Tu le kh" (or "Tu la kh") quite familiar to many people but few know its origin. So why do we often refer to the Western deck as 'tú le kho'? We invite you to find out in the article below.

Why is the Western deck called 'tu le kh'? Picture 1

The word "Tu Le Kho" first appeared in Vietnam in the Viet Bac base area from 1950 -1951 onwards due to the contact of our soldiers, cadres and people with Chinese soldiers. At that time, Soviet soldiers and officers who came to work in Dien An during the war against Japan often played poker for entertainment. When it comes to the last-minute turn of the important card that determines the winner or loser of each game, they often joke a bridge: 'Вот дурак! (Vot, durak!)' means 'watch this, idiot!').

This saying was heard by Chinese soldiers and transliterated from "durak" to "tu la kh" because of the confusion between /t/ and /d/. Then this word spread to Vietnamese cadres and soldiers and read as 'tu le kho', or 'tu le khong'. As such, the interesting fact is that the word "tu le kho" just means… "idiot".

Why is the Western deck called 'tu le kh'? Picture 2

The origin of the name of the four suits of the Western deck

The four suits of the Western deck, including "blade", "snap", "check" and "me", are transcribed from French and are called based on the symbol representing each suit.

1. "Bich" (or "pitch") is a transliteration of the French word "pique", which means "spear", "point of the spear".
2. "Nip" or "tep" is a transliteration of the word "trèfle" - the name of a grass with leaves consisting of three young leaves.
3. "Ro" is a transliteration and abbreviation of the word "carreau", which means "square".
4. "Muscle" is a transliteration of the word "coeur" which means "heart".

David Pac

Update 27 June 2023