Austroasiatic · Latin
VietnameseTiếng Việt
95M speakers · Southeast Asia
250 terms
Hello
The standard polite Vietnamese greeting, used at any time of day.
Good morning
A morning greeting; in everyday speech Vietnamese often just say chào plus a pronoun.
Good evening
A greeting used in the evening.
Good night
Said before going to bed, literally wish you sleep well.
Goodbye
The standard farewell.
Thank you
The standard expression of gratitude.
You're welcome
The standard reply to thanks, literally it is nothing.
Sorry; excuse me
An apology, also used to get someone's attention politely.
Yes (polite)
A polite affirmative answer, used in the north; the south says dạ.
No; not
A negative answer; also negates verbs.
How are you?
A common question asking about wellbeing, literally are you healthy.
Healthy; fine
In good health; the standard reply to how are you.
My name is
Used to introduce yourself by name.
Nice to meet you
Said when meeting someone for the first time.
Welcome
Used to welcome guests or new arrivals.
Good luck
A wish for success.
Cheers (1-2-3 go!)
The fun Vietnamese toast: count one, two, three, then shout dô!
I don't understand
A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.
One
The number one.
Two
The number two.
Three
The number three; in the south the same word means dad.
Four
The number four.
Five
The number five; the same word also means year.
Six
The number six.
Seven
The number seven.
Eight
The number eight.
Nine
The number nine; the same word also means ripe or cooked.
Ten
The number ten.
Hundred
The number one hundred.
Thousand
The number one thousand; the south says ngàn.
Today
The present day.
Tomorrow
The day after today.
Yesterday
The day before today.
Now
At the present moment.
Hour; o'clock
A period of sixty minutes, or the time of day.
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
Week
A period of seven days.
Year
A period of twelve months; the same word means five.
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage; central to Vietnamese life.
Mother
A female parent; the south often says má.
Father
A male parent in northern Vietnamese; the south says ba.
Older brother
Vietnamese distinguishes older and younger siblings; anh means older male.
Older sister
An older female sibling.
Younger brother
A younger male sibling; em means younger sibling.
Younger sister
A younger female sibling.
Son; boy
A male child.
Daughter; girl
A female child.
Grandfather; Mr.
A grandfather; also a respectful pronoun for older men.
Grandmother; Mrs.
A grandmother; also a respectful pronoun for older women.
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
Children
Young people in general.
Friend; you
A friend; also the neutral pronoun you for people your age.
Man
An adult male person.
Woman
An adult female person.
Teacher
A person who teaches; teachers are deeply respected in Vietnam.
Water; country
The liquid essential for life; the same word also means country.
Tea
A drink made from tea leaves; iced tea, trà đá, is everywhere in Vietnam.
Coffee
Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer; try cà phê sữa đá.
Cooked rice
The staple food; an cơm, eating rice, simply means having a meal.
Pho (noodle soup)
Vietnam's iconic rice-noodle soup with beef or chicken.
Banh mi; bread
Bread, and the famous Vietnamese baguette sandwich.
Meat
The flesh of animals eaten as food.
Chicken
A chicken, or chicken meat.
Fish
An animal that lives in water; fish sauce, nước mắm, defines Vietnamese cooking.
Egg
An egg laid by a hen, a common breakfast food.
Vegetables; herbs
Vegetables and the fresh herbs served with most Vietnamese meals.
Fruit
Sweet plant foods; Vietnam grows wonderful tropical fruit.
Mango
A sweet tropical fruit, eaten ripe or green with chili salt.
Milk
A white drink; condensed milk sweetens Vietnamese coffee.
Juice
A drink made from pressed fruit.
Sugar
A sweet substance; the same word also means road.
Salt
A white substance used to season food.
Breakfast
The first meal of the day, often pho or banh mi from a street stall.
Lunch
The meal eaten in the middle of the day.
Dinner
The meal eaten in the evening, usually shared by the whole family.
Airport
A place where airplanes take off and land.
Airplane
A flying vehicle, literally flying machine.
Train
A connected line of carriages; the north-south railway links Hanoi and Saigon.
Station
A train station, from the French word gare.
Bus
A large road vehicle that carries many passengers.
Taxi
A car you pay to be driven somewhere in.
Motorbike
The king of Vietnamese roads — tens of millions fill the streets.
Hotel
A place where travelers pay to stay overnight.
Restaurant
A place where you pay to eat meals; street food stalls are quán ăn.
City
A large town where many people live and work.
Village
A small settlement in the countryside.
Road; street
A way for vehicles and people; the same word means sugar.
Passport
An official document needed for traveling abroad.
Ticket
A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.
Map
A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.
Bank
A place where people keep and borrow money.
Market
A traditional market; Bến Thành in Saigon and Đồng Xuân in Hanoi are famous.
Beach
A sandy shore by the sea; Vietnam has over 3,000 km of coastline.
To travel
To go on a journey for pleasure.
Sun
The star that gives Earth light and warmth, literally face of the sky.
Moon
The bright object in the night sky; the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates it.
Star
A point of light in the night sky; also means a celebrity.
Sky
The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.
Sea
The large body of salt water along Vietnam's long coast.
River
A large natural stream of water; the Mekong and Red River shape Vietnam.
Mountain
A very high hill; Fansipan is the highest peak in Indochina.
Forest; jungle
A large area covered with trees.
Tree; plant
A tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves.
Flower
The colorful blossom of a plant; the lotus is Vietnam's national flower.
Rain
Water that falls from clouds; the rainy season brings daily downpours.
Snow
Soft white frozen water; it occasionally falls in Sa Pa's mountains.
Wind
Moving air that you can feel.
Weather
The condition of the air, such as sun, rain, or wind.
Animal
A living creature such as a dog, bird, or fish.
Cat
A small pet animal that meows.
Body
The whole physical structure of a person.
Head
The top part of the body containing the brain and face.
Eye
The part of the body used for seeing.
Ear
The part of the body used for hearing.
Nose
The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
Mouth
The part of the face used for eating and speaking.
Hand; arm
The upper limb, covering both hand and arm in everyday speech.
Leg; foot
The lower limb used for walking.
Heart
The organ that pumps blood, also used for feelings.
Hair
The hair on a person's head.
Stomach; belly
The front part of the body below the chest.
Doctor
A person trained to treat sick people.
Hospital
A place where sick people are treated.
Medicine
Something you take to treat an illness.
Health
The condition of the body and mind.
Sick
Ill, not in good health; in the south it can mean thin.
Work; job
A job, or the activity of working.
Company
A business organization that sells goods or services.
Office
A room or building where people work at desks.
Boss
The person in charge at work, from the French word chef.
Colleague
A person you work with.
Meeting
An occasion when people come together to discuss something.
Money
Coins and banknotes; the Vietnamese currency is the đồng.
Salary
The money you receive regularly for your work.
Computer
An electronic machine, literally calculating machine.
Telephone
A device used for calling and messaging people.
Profession
The type of work a person is trained to do.
Project
A planned piece of work with a clear goal.
Customer
A person who buys goods or services.
Contract
A formal written agreement.
Director; manager
The person who leads a company.
Factory
A building where goods are made with machines.
Culture
The art, customs, and traditions of a society.
History
The study of past events, or the events themselves.
Language
A system of words used by a nation or group.
Book
Written pages bound together for reading.
Music
Sounds arranged in a pleasing way, made by voices or instruments.
Film; movie
A story shown in moving pictures.
Art
Painting, sculpture, and other creative work; water puppetry is uniquely Vietnamese.
Museum
A building where important objects and art are shown.
Festival
A special time of celebration.
Tet (Lunar New Year)
The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday of the year.
Religion
Belief in and worship of a god or gods.
Government
The group of people who rule a country.
News
Reports about recent events.
Tradition
A custom passed down through generations.
To be
To be something or someone; used with nouns.
To have; there is
To own or possess something; also expresses existence.
To go
To move from one place to another.
To come; to arrive
To move toward a place or arrive there.
To eat
To put food in your mouth; ăn cơm means to have a meal.
To drink
To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.
To see; to feel
To notice with your eyes; also to feel or find something a certain way.
To hear; to listen
To notice sounds with your ears.
To speak
To say words, to talk.
To read
To look at words and understand them.
To write
To form letters and words on paper or a screen.
To buy
To get something by paying money; the same sound as rain with a different tone.
To sell
To give something in exchange for money.
To do; to make
To perform an action or create something.
To work
To do a job, literally to do work.
To think
To use your mind to form ideas or opinions.
To want
To wish for or desire something.
To love
To feel deep affection for someone.
To like
To find something pleasant or enjoyable.
To learn; to study
To gain knowledge or skill.
To know
To have information or skill in your mind.
To know (people); to be used to
To be familiar with a person, or accustomed to something.
To give
To hand something to someone; also means for.
To take
To pick something up or accept it; also means to marry.
To look for
To try to find something.
To help
To make something easier for someone.
To begin
To start doing something.
To finish
To bring something to an end.
Good
Of high quality or pleasant.
Bad; ugly
Of poor quality, or not pleasing to look at.
Big
Of great size; lớn is a common synonym.
Small
Of little size.
New
Recently made or bought.
Old (things)
Having existed for a long time; for people use già.
Young
Not old, in an early stage of life.
Tall; high
Of great height.
Short; low
Of little height.
Long
Of great length; the áo dài is the long Vietnamese dress.
Short
Of little length or duration.
Hot
Having a high temperature.
Cold
Having a low temperature.
Fast
Moving or happening quickly.
Slow
Moving or happening without speed.
Expensive
Costing a lot of money; the south says mắc.
Cheap
Costing little money.
Beautiful
Very pleasing to look at.
Easy
Not difficult to do or understand.
Difficult
Hard to do or understand.
Important
Having great value or significance.
Clean
Free from dirt.
What
Used to ask about things, placed at the end of the question.
Who
Used to ask about people.
Where
Used to ask about places, placed at the end of the question.
When
Used to ask about time; at the start it asks about the future, at the end the past.
Why
Used to ask about reasons.
How
Used to ask about manner or condition.
How much; how many
Used to ask about quantity or price — essential for markets.
Which one
Used to ask about a choice between things.
Whose
Used to ask about ownership.
Right? (question tag)
Placed at the end of a sentence to ask for confirmation.
House; home
A building where people live, or your home.
Apartment
A set of rooms for living in, part of a larger building.
Kitchen
The room where food is prepared.
Bathroom
The room with a bath or shower.
Bedroom
The room where you sleep.
Door
The entrance to a room or building.
Window
An opening in a wall with glass that lets in light.
Table
A piece of furniture with a flat top.
Chair
A seat with a back for one person.
Bed
A piece of furniture for sleeping.
To sleep
To rest with your eyes closed at night.
Clothes
Things you wear, literally trousers and shirts.
Shoes
Footwear; removed before entering a Vietnamese home.
Key
A metal object used to open locks.
Clock; watch
A device that shows the time.
Television
A device for watching programmes, from the English TV.
Lamp; light
A device that gives light; Hoi An's lantern-lit streets are famous.
Bag; pocket
A container for carrying things, or a pocket.
To cook
To prepare food by heating it.
To go shopping
To buy things for pleasure or daily needs.
Happy; fun
Feeling pleasure and joy; also describes something enjoyable.
Sad
Feeling unhappy.
Angry
Feeling strong displeasure.
To be afraid
Feeling fear.
Tired
Needing rest after work or activity.
Hungry
Feeling the need to eat.
Thirsty
Feeling the need to drink.
Worried
Feeling anxious about something.
Bored
Feeling tired because something is not interesting.
Excited
Feeling very happy and full of anticipation.
Love
A deep feeling of affection.
Hope
The feeling that something good will happen; also used as a verb.
Happiness
The state of feeling happy; also used as an adjective.