quy

Quy is a term with multiple meanings in Vietnamese and related East Asian contexts. In Vietnamese, quy may appear as a given name or a surname in its unaccented transcription. The properly diacritized form Quý means precious, valuable, or esteemed, and it appears in many common words and polite forms such as quý khách (dear customer) and quý trọng (to value). As a surname, Quý is used by some families. Because Vietnamese relies on diacritics to distinguish meanings, quỷ and other forms are not interchangeable in standard writing, and “quy” without diacritics can be ambiguous in English texts.

In Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary, quy is a reading associated with the character 龟/龜, meaning turtle or tortoise. While the everyday Vietnamese word for turtle is rùa, the character-based reading appears in classical or decorative contexts and in terms and names that invoke turtle imagery. A notable example is the long quy (dragon-turtle), a mythic creature symbolizing longevity and wisdom.

Culturally, the dragon-turtle long quy is a motif in Vietnamese art, architecture, and feng shui-inspired designs, where it represents durability, stability, and auspicious fortune. Turtle symbolism is common across East Asia and frequently appears in folklore, literature, and decorative arts.

In other uses, Quy can function as a Vietnamese personal name and may appear in place names or institutions when transliterated into Latin letters. See also guī (Chinese character for turtle) and long quy for related concepts.