Family vocabulary, the pronoun system, introducing your family, and Vietnamese cultural context.
| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother | mẹ / má | meh / mah | mẹ = Northern · má = Southern |
| Father | bố / ba | boh / bah | bố = Northern · ba = Southern |
| Parents | bố mẹ ba má | boh meh bah mah | bố mẹ = Northern ba má = Southern |
| Older sister | chị | chee | Also used as "you" to older women |
| Older brother | anh | anh | Also used as "you" to older men |
| Younger sibling | em | em | Used for both younger brother and sister |
| Younger sister | em gái | em gai | gái = girl/female |
| Younger brother | em trai | em chai | trai = boy/male |
| Husband | chồng | chohng | |
| Wife | vợ | vuh | |
| Child / children | con | kawn | |
| Son | con trai | kawn chai | |
| Daughter | con gái | kawn gai |
| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grandmother | bà | bah | Also "you" to elderly women |
| Grandfather | ông | ohng | Also "you" to elderly men |
| Aunt (father's sister) | cô | koh | Also "you" to middle-aged women |
| Aunt (mother's sister) | dì | dee | |
| Uncle (father's brother) | chú | choo | Also "you" to middle-aged men |
| Uncle (mother's brother) | cậu | koh | |
| Niece / nephew | cháu | chow | |
| Cousin | anh/chị/em họ | anh/chee/em haw | Prefix depends on age relative to you |
| Family | gia đình | yah ding | |
| Relatives | họ hàng | haw hahng |
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Upgrade to Pro — $9.99/mo →anh/chị (older brother/sister) and refer to yourself as embạn for "you" and tôi for "I"chú/cô (uncle/aunt age) or ông/bà (grandparent age)
| Word | Pronunciation | Means | Use when... |
|---|---|---|---|
| tôi | toy | I / me (neutral) | Safest default — works in most situations |
| em | em | I (younger/humble) | Speaking UP to someone older than you |
| mình | ming | I (friendly/casual) | With close friends your age |
| bạn | bahn | You (friend) | Someone roughly your age |
| anh | anh | You (older male) | Man older than you — waiter, colleague, stranger |
| chị | chee | You (older female) | Woman older than you |
| chú | choo | You (much older male) | Man clearly your father's age |
| cô | koh | You (much older female) | Woman clearly your mother's age |
| ông | ohng | You (elderly male) | Very respectful — grandfather age |
| bà | bah | You (elderly female) | Very respectful — grandmother age |
✅ Anh ơi, cho em...
"anh oy, chaw em" — Hey (older bro), please give me..."
✅ Bạn khỏe không?
"bahn khway khome" — How are you?
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Upgrade to Pro — $9.99/mo →| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| This is my mother | Đây là mẹ tôi | day lah meh toy |
| This is my father | Đây là bố tôi | day lah boh toy |
| This is my husband | Đây là chồng tôi | day lah chohng toy |
| This is my wife | Đây là vợ tôi | day lah vuh toy |
| My family has 4 people | Gia đình tôi có bốn người | yah ding toy kaw bone nguh-ee |
| I have two siblings | Tôi có hai anh chị em | toy kaw hi anh chee em |
| I'm an only child | Tôi là con một | toy lah kawn moht |
| I'm the oldest | Tôi là con cả | toy lah kawn kah |
| I'm the youngest | Tôi là con út | toy lah kawn oot |
| I'm the middle child | Tôi là con giữa | toy lah kawn yuh-ah |
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Upgrade to Pro — $9.99/mo →| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Boyfriend | bạn trai | bahn chai |
| Girlfriend | bạn gái | bahn gai |
| Are you married? | Bạn có gia đình chưa? | bahn kaw yah ding chuh-ah |
| I'm married | Tôi đã kết hôn rồi | toy dah ket hohn roy |
| I'm single | Tôi còn độc thân | toy kawn dawk thun |
| I'm divorced | Tôi đã ly hôn | toy dah lee hohn |
| Do you have children? | Bạn có con chưa? | bahn kaw kawn chuh-ah |
| I have one child | Tôi có một đứa con | toy kaw moht duh-ah kawn |
| How old is your child? | Con bạn mấy tuổi? | kawn bahn may too-oy |
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Upgrade to Pro — $9.99/mo →| English | Vietnamese | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year | Tết | tet | Most important holiday — families reunite |
| Happy New Year! | Chúc mừng năm mới! | chook mung num muh-ee | |
| Wedding | đám cưới | dahm kyuh-ee | Often very large — hundreds of guests |
| Death anniversary / memorial | giỗ | yoh | Observed annually for deceased family members |
| Birthday | sinh nhật | sing nyut | |
| Happy birthday! | Chúc mừng sinh nhật! | chook mung sing nyut | |
| Congratulations! | Chúc mừng! | chook mung | Works for any happy occasion |
| Ancestors | tổ tiên | toh tyen | Ancestor worship is deeply embedded in culture |
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