y

Hồi đó ở kinh đô có một người em hoàng hậu họ Vương. Y cũng là tay cự phú nổi tiếng tiền rừng biển bạc và xài phí vào bậc nhất.

1958, Đổng Chi Nguyễn, “Thạch Sùng còn thiếu mẻ kho hay là Sự tích con mối”, in Kho tàng truyện cố tích Việt Nam, NXB Văn sử địa:

At the time, there was in the capital a brother of the queen of the Wáng family. He was also a famous for being immensely rich and was an extravagant spender of first degree.


tao

From Proto-Vietic *soː (“I; me”). Cognate with Thavung โซว.
There are 1st person single pronouns in Northern Austroasiatic branches with back vocalism and null-initial such as Mang ʔuː⁴, Khmu [Cuang] ʔoʔ, Riang [Sak] ʔoʔ¹, Pnar o. However, the only case of competing *s- vs. null-onset in Vietic is Proto-Vietic *suh ~ *ʔuh (“nest”), which gave rise to Vietnamese tổ and ổ respectively.

(Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, impolite, familiar, disrespectful or hostile) I/me


mi

From Proto-Vietic *miː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *miiʔ. This is the native form in the Central dialects, Northern and Southern dialects borrowed this neutral pronoun with added hostile connotation, probably due to their native mày/mầy.

mầy

originally Northern Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, now chiefly Nẫu

(chiefly Central Vietnam, derogatory in other dialects) you (second person singular pronoun, referring to a peer or person held in low esteem)


qua

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 我 (SV: ngã); borrowed from a Sinitic variety with denasalization.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">ngã</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-qua.wav

Hôm qua qua bảo qua qua mà qua không qua. Hôm nay qua không bảo qua qua mà qua lại qua.
Yesterday ah said ah'd cuhm over but ah ain't cuhm. Today ah ain't say ah'd cuhm over but ah came.

Qua đã nói với bậu, nhưng bậu chẳng nghe.

(archaic, men's speech or Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) I; me


ai

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From Proto-Vietic *ʔeː (“who”). Cognate with Tho [Cuối Chăm] ʔeː¹.

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Cuối mùa nhan sắc" (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
Người ở chùa, người bán vé số, người ngủ công viên, người hát rong, ít ai có nhà để về.

Some live at the temple, some sell lottery tickets, some sleep in parks, some play music in the streets; few have a home to go back to.


e

The eighth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called e and written in the Latin script.


某

chữ Hán form of mỗ (“such-and-such (placeholder)”).


碎

(archaic, historical) slave; domestic servant


ta

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 咱 (“I; me, we; us”, SV: cha).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">cha</i>

vi-etym-sino

Tết ta

(informal) "our", Vietnamese, as opposed to Tây (“Western”), Tàu (“Chinese”) or Xiêm (“Siamese”)


con

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From Proto-Vietic *kɔːn, from Proto-Austroasiatic *koan. Cognate with Muong Bi con, Thavung กอน, Mon ကွေန် (kon), Khmer កូន (koun), Bahnar kon, Khasi khun, Central Nicobarese kōan. See also non (“young, juvenile”), which is from an infixed form of the root.
Attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 昆 (MC kwon) (modern SV: côn). Attested in the Annan Jishi (安南即事, 13th century) as 乾 (MC kan) (modern SV: can).

Anh mày có hẳn hai con xe Honda đấy nhớ!
I have two Honda motorbikes!

(colloquial) Indicates wheeled vehicles.


em

From Proto-Vietic *ʔɛːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(sʔ)iəm; cognate with Pacoh a-em (“younger sibling”).
According to Phan Kế Bính's Việt Nam phong tục (1915), apparently the practice of calling each other anh-em for those in relationship originated from the province of Quảng Nam:
1915, Phan Kế Bính, Việt Nam phong tục [Vietnamese customs]:
— Vợ chồng con nhà sang trọng, gọi nhau bằng cậu mợ, thầy thông thầy phán thì gọi nhau bằng thầy cô, nhà thường thì gọi nhau bằng anh chị. Có con rồi thì gọi nhau bằng thầy em đẻ em, nhà thô tục thì gọi nhau là bố cu mẹ đĩ, có người thì gọi bố nó mẹ nó, có người cả hai vợ chồng gọi lẫn nhau là nhà ta. Ở Quảng-Nam thì vợ gọi chồng là anh, chồng gọi vợ là em. Ở Nghệ Tĩnh vợ chồng gọi là gấy nhông.
Spouses from wealthy families tend to call each other cậu and mợ; those employed by the government prefer thầy and cô; while in an average household, they call each other anh and chị. Couples with children call each other thầy em [father of the little one] and đẻ em [mother of the little one], while those from low-born families use bố cu and mẹ đĩ; there are also those who say bố nó and mẹ nó and those who both call each other nhà ta. In Quảng Nam, a housewife would call her husband anh and a husband would call his wife em. In Nghệ Tĩnh, "husband and wife" is called gấy nhông.

quote-book

Việt Nam phong tục

Spouses from wealthy families tend to call each other cậu and mợ; those employed by the government prefer thầy and cô; while in an average household, they call each other anh and chị. Couples with children call each other thầy em 􂀿father of the little one􂁀 and đẻ em 􂀿mother of the little one􂁀, while those from low-born families use bố cu and mẹ đĩ; there are also those who say bố nó and mẹ nó and those who both call each other nhà ta. In Quảng Nam, a housewife would call her husband anh and a husband would call his wife em. In Nghệ Tĩnh, "husband and wife" is called gấy nhông.

pronoun used to refer to any person (oneself, the addressee, or any third person) described by the noun em above

(familiar) pronoun used to refer to younger person of the same generation

pronoun used to refer to younger siblings or cousins descended from an ancestor who is/was a younger sibling to one's own or one's spouse's

Viết một đoạn văn ngắn miêu tả một thứ bố em làm cho em.

Write a short essay describing something your father made for you.

(formal) pronoun used to refer to a child or a student

thằng em của em


tau

North Central Vietnam form of tao (“I/me”)


chi

Sino-Vietnamese word from 支 (“branch; to spend”).


va

Attested in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651) as ua, va.
Compare Khmer វា (viə).

Người ấy trông chừng cũng đã nhiều tuổi, thấy tôi đến gần, vẫn nằm vắt chân chéo khoeo, kéo một hơi thẳng, không thở tị tí khói nào. Tôi biết ngay va là tay lão luyện.

1919, Phạm Duy Tốn, “Nước đời lắm nỗi”, in Tạp chí Nam Phong:

He seemed like a fairly old guy; as he saw me approaching, he kept lying still with his legs crossed, took a deep hit yet not letting out a whit of smoke. I knew right away that he's a veteran [smoker].

- Ông Sáng mới mua con Inova mới tinh.
- Va thì thiếu chi tiền.

2014, Cao Xuân Hải, “Đại từ nhân xưng trong tiếng Thanh Hóa”, in Ngôn ngữ & Đời sống, volume 227, number 9:

- Mr. Sáng has just bought a brand new Inova.
- Not surprising, he doesn't seem to run out of money.

(certain regions of Thanh Hoá, obsolete or literary in other dialects) he/him; she/her; they/them (singular third person pronoun)


bro

[ʔɓəː˨˩ zo˧˧]

[ʔɓəː˦˩ ʐow˧˧]

[ʔɓəː˨˩ ɹow˧˧]

các bro
you bros

bro ấy

Mùa dịch này làm mấy bài vui vẻ này hợp lý quá bro ơi.

2021 September 6, Koi Koi, “Bất ngờ bài 'nhạc Thái' lọt top trending cao nhưng hoá ra của ca sĩ Việt, nghe vui xả stress được khen ngợi hết lời! ["Thai" song unexpectedly shoots into the top trending list but turns out to be by Vietnamese singer; listen to relieve your stress; speechlessly recommend!]”, in Kênh 14, Hanoi: VCCorp, retrieved 2023-03-07:

This pandemic season makes these joyful songs so appropriate, bro.

Trước đấy, khi được hỏi về mối quan hệ với "vợ cũ" Lương Minh Trang, Vinh Râu không ngần ngại thừa nhận: "Chúng tôi làm tri kỷ và thường xưng hô bằng bro".

2022 August 5, Ngọc Nguyễn, “Lương Minh Trang và Vinh Râu thăng hạng visual, xưng hô thân thiết”, in Thể thao & Văn hóa, Hanoi: Vietnam News Agency, archived from the original on 2023-03-08:

Earlier, when asked about his relationship with his "ex" Lương Minh Trang, Vinh Râu admits, without hesitation: "We are confidants and often address each other as bro".

Giờ thì mau mau chuẩn bị lên đồ và set kèo với hội bạn để "quẩy" tung Hà Nội cùng Tóc Tiên, JustaTee, Huy DX và BNUTs thôi nào các bro ơi!

2022 December 21, Quang Vũ, “Tóc Tiên, JustaTee hẹn fan 'cháy' cùng lễ hội Noel siêu hoành tráng tại Hà Nội [Tóc Tiên, JustaTee promises fans they'll be "on fire" at a super large-scale Christmas festival in Hanoi]”, in Thể thao & Văn hóa, Hanoi: Vietnam News Agency, retrieved 2023-03-07:

Now hurry up and prepare to set a bet with your friends to "hang out" in Hanoi with Tóc Tiên, JustaTee, Huy DX and BNUTs, bro!

(slang, Vietnam) bro (used to address a person (presumably) around the same age, usually male)


bay

From Proto-Vietic *pər, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *par; cognates include Muong păl, Bahnar păr, Pacoh pár and Mon ပဝ် (pɔ).

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bay.wav

to flutter (flap or wave quickly but irregularly)

bay 3 triệu


bay

cãi bay


moa

Coordinate term: toa

(obsolete, sometimes humorous, originally towards a French speaker) I; me


người

con (classifier)
㝵 (CJK)
𠊚 (CJK)
𠊛 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài, Bahnar bơngai (“people, human being”) and Pacoh ngai (“they; them; their; others”). Also from the same root is ngươi (“pupil”).

cog

cười người chớ vội cười lâu, cười người hôm trước hôm sau người cười

Thấy trong người sao?

Sao người nó còm nhom vậy?


gì

Cognate with Muong chi.
See chi, the form without lenition and the form for the interrogative "what" in the Central dialects (both the North Central dialects from Nghệ An to Huế, and the South Central dialects of Đà Nẵng-Quảng Nam-Quảng Ngãi). Further south, the Southern dialects keep native chi with the meaning "what for" and in compounds, but borrowed gì from the Northern dialects for the general "what". In the Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), a dictionary based on the Southern dialects, the entry for chi is much more extensive than for gì, likely indicating that in the late 18th-early 19th century, chi was still the main word for "what" in the Southern dialects.

An interrogative expression nearly equivalent to “What?”


già

From Proto-Vietic *k-raː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kraʔ ~ *(k)rah. Cognate with Muong khà, Tho [Cuối Chăm] kʰraː¹, Bahnar kră.
Attested as Northern Middle Vietnamese già in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects. The modern North Central form descended from an unattested Middle Vietnamese form, which derived from an unattested non-Northern Old Vietnamese form.
The standard written Vietnamese form is irregular (the expected form would be **sa), while the North Central form shows the shift from *k-r to *k-l observable in several other instances: compare sâu and trâu (“caterpillar”), sừng and trừng (“horn”). See giòi (“maggot”), giữa (“middle”) for other instances of mainstream Vietnamese ‹gi› from initial *k-r.

nước nóng già

dọa già dọa non

nước ô-xi già


a

(slang, Internet, text messaging) Abbreviation of anh.


Ta

“Này các đệ tử, là bậc đạo sư, những gì Ta làm là vì từ mẫn, mưu cầu hạnh phúc cho các đệ tử. Này các đệ tử, đây là gốc cây, đây nơi an tĩnh, hãy thực tập thiền, chớ có phóng dật, để không nuối tiếc. Đây lời Ta dạy, hãy gắng thực hành”.

2014, Thích Nhật Từ, “Kinh tiểu sử Đức Phật [A Biography of the Buddha]”, in Kinh Phật cho người tại gia [A Scriptural Collection for Non-committal Buddhists]:

“My disciples, whatever I do as a teacher is for your own good and happiness. My disciples, at the foot of this tree, you shall be meditating, not idling, so you will not have regrets. Heed My words and practice.”

(Buddhism) Alternative letter-case form of ta; I/me, the Buddha


ACE

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔan˧˧ cɪj˨˩˨ ʔɛm˧˧]


cha

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cha.wav

Thôi dẹp đi cha!


út

head

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

vi-pronoun

út • (崴, 𠃝, 𧰦, 𠃷)

From Proto-Vietic *ʔuːc.
Compare Chong [Ban Thung Saphan] ʔuːˀc ("few, little").

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) you, my youngest sibling


nao

nơi nao

(archaic, literary) Alternative form of nào (“which”)


tui

(colloquial, sometimes humorous, especially used among close friends along with ông or bà) Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam form of tôi


bà

Sino-Vietnamese word from 婆 (“grandmother”). In Chinese and Japanese, the same character actually corresponds to 爺 /爷 (yé, “grandfather”), as opposed to 翁 (“old man”) which yields Vietnamese ông.


bé

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bé.wav


tôi

Related to Proto-Katuic *sool (“slave”) (whence Pacoh xoul (“slave”)). Cognate with Muong thôl (a humble first-person pronoun). See also Central-Southern form tui.
“Slave; servant” > “I”.
The development of first-person pronoun from humble nouns such as “slave; servant” is a pan-Sprachbund phenomenon in the Southeast and East Asian region. Per Nguyen (2000), the pronominal use of this word was not attested in poems by Nguyễn Trãi and Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm in the 15ᵗʰ–16ᵗʰ centuries, and was postulated to have appeared at the end of the 16ᵗʰ or the beginning of the 17ᵗʰ century. Its introduction as a humble first-person pronoun posed as a disturbance to the preexisting tao–mày system: it resulted in an asymmetry with an empty second-person addressee slot corresponding to the humble tôi (see the table below), and led to the use of an appropriate noun, usually a kinship term or status term, to respectfully address the other party, precipitating the now-widespread use of kinship terms as personal pronouns in Vietnamese.
:
For similar grammaticalizations of pronouns, compare tớ, and in other languages, compare:
: Japanese 僕 (boku), Mandarin 奴 (nú), Khmer ខ្ញុំ (khñom), Thai ข้า (kâa), Lao ຂ້ອຍ (khǭi), Burmese ကျွန်မ (kywanma.), Malay hamba.

cog

𱙎妸挼碎
誇咹誇黙

14th century, Mạc Đĩnh Chi, Giáo tử phú 敎子賦:

Men and women want to own many servants,
To show off their wealth and lifestyle.


chàng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 郎 (“young person”, SV: lang). The same development of the initial can also be seen with chạp and possibly also chuồng (if the latter were indeed an early Chinese loan according to Alves, 2018).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">lang</i>

vi-etym-sino

(literary, usually humorous, endearing) he/him, my male romantic partner


chú

(narratology, literary, endearing) Short for chú bé (“he/him, that little boy”).


nàng

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 娘 (“lady”, SV: nương). Compare Thai นาง (naang). Doublet of nường.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">nương</i>

vi-etym-sino

Người trở về chỗ cũ, ngồi đối diện với Pê-nê-lốp, trên chiếc ghế bành ban nãy, rồi nói với nàng :
— Khốn khổ ! Hẳn là các vị thần trên núi Ô-lem-pơ đã ban cho nàng một trái tim sắt đá hơn ai hết trong đám đàn bà yếu đuối,[…]

1983, Homer, translated by Phan Thị Miến, Ô-đi-xê [The Odyssey]:

He returned to his seat, facing Penelope, on that bench, and told her:
— For goodness’ sake! The Olympians must have granted you the hardest heart among the frail women, […]

(now literary or humorous) pronoun used to refer to a beloved or admirable woman


cháu

From Proto-Vietic *cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cuuʔ. Cognate with Muong [Bi] chảu (“son-in-law”), Khmer ចៅ (caw), Bahnar sŏu/sâu, Pacoh achau, Khasi 'siew.
Attested as cháu in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).

he/him/she/her, the child under my guardianship (my child or grandchild) who we're talking about


gã

head

𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱

gã • (𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱)

vi-noun

𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱

gã • (𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱)

Lễ ký đại toàn tiết yếu diễn nghĩa (禮記大全節要演義)
𨿽吾子儼然在憂服之中（唒𡥚些當欺安朗於蒸𥪞喪服）
Tuy ngô tử nghiễm nhiên tại ưu phục chi trung (Dẫu gã ta đang khi yên lặng ở chưng trong tang phục)
Although my son was calm in his mourning clothes


gã

head

𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱

gã • (𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱)

vi-pronoun

𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱

gã • (𱒭, 𡥚, 妸, 𪟡, 𤯱)


nó

Probably originally a variant of nọ (“that yonder”).
For semantic relationship, compare French il, Spanish él (and other reflexes of Latin ille), Macedonian тој (toj), Japanese 彼 (kare), Turkish o.

(literary, fiction, narratology, disrespectful or familiar) he; him; she; her (used by the author when talking about a young person (especially the protagonist) or a non-human animal)


閣下

chữ Hán form of các hạ (“(Chinese fiction, honorific) you”).


ảnh

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) photograph; picture


khi

Cognate with Muong Bi khây.
Often compared to Chinese 期 (MC gi), however, there is a register mismatch.


chỉ

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root chị in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-chỉ.wav


bố

From Late Proto-Vietic *poːʔ (“father”), related to Chinese 父 (MC pjuX|bjuX) (SV: phụ), likely through a Tai language. Compare Proto-Tai *boːᴮ, whence Thai พ่อ (pɔ̂ɔ). Ultimately a nursery word.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bố.wav


nhỏ

(Southern Vietnam, familiar) she/her, that girl


cổ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 古. Doublet of cũ.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cổ.wav

đồ cổ

antique; "old"; compare cũ (“old, but not ancient”)


cổ

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root cô in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) she/her, that young adult woman


anh

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-anh.wav

Inherited from Proto-Vietic *ʔɛːŋ (“elder brother”).
According to Phan Kế Bính's Việt Nam phong tục (1915), apparently the practice of calling each other anh-em for those in relationship originated from the province of Quảng Nam:
1915, Phan Kế Bính, Việt Nam phong tục [Vietnamese customs]:
— Vợ chồng con nhà sang trọng, gọi nhau bằng cậu mợ, thầy thông thầy phán thì gọi nhau bằng thầy cô, nhà thường thì gọi nhau bằng anh chị. Có con rồi thì gọi nhau bằng thầy em đẻ em, nhà thô tục thì gọi nhau là bố cu mẹ đĩ, có người thì gọi bố nó mẹ nó, có người cả hai vợ chồng gọi lẫn nhau là nhà ta. Ở Quảng-Nam thì vợ gọi chồng là anh, chồng gọi vợ là em. Ở Nghệ Tĩnh vợ chồng gọi là gấy nhông.
Spouses from wealthy families tend to call each other cậu and mợ; those employed by the government prefer thầy and cô; while in an average household, they call each other anh and chị. Couples with children call each other thầy em [father of the little one] and đẻ em [mother of the little one], while those from low-born families use bố cu and mẹ đĩ; there are also those who say bố nó and mẹ nó and those who both call each other nhà ta. In Quảng Nam, a housewife would call her husband anh and a husband would call his wife em. In Nghệ Tĩnh, "husband and wife" is called gấy nhông.

quote-book

Việt Nam phong tục

a male cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's


anh

Việt Nam phong tục

I/me, your male cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's

- Tại sao con phải gọi Tuấn bằng anh ? Nó kém con những mười tuổi !
- Phong tục Việt Nam là vậy. Mẹ nó là chị của mẹ, nên nó là anh của con.
- Why the heck do I have to call him "big bro"? He's ten years younger than I am!
- That's how kinship works in Vietnam. His mother's my big sis, that's why he's your "big bro".

- Ông ấy già vậy mà bố phải gọi bằng anh à ?
- Ông cố của bố là em của ông cố của ông ấy. Mà con phải gọi ông ấy là bác mới đúng.
- He looks so old. Why do you call him "big bro"?
- My great-grandfather was younger brother to his. By the way, you're supposed to call him your "big uncle".

Thuý gọi mình bằng anh, nhưng Thuý lớn tuổi hơn mình nhiều nên mình ngại gọi Thuý bằng em.
I'm supposed to be Thuý's "big bro", but I can't bring myself to call her "little sibling" because she's way older than me.

- Sao anh lại gọi chú ấy bằng "anh" ? Chú ấy dù lớn tuổi hơn như vẫn là em họ của em.
- Anh quen anh ấy từ trước khi anh gặp em. Anh muốn tôn trọng cái có trước.
- Why did you call him "big brother" ? He's still my "younger sibling" despite his seniority.
- I knew him way before I met you. I wanted to respect what came first.

you, my male cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to mine or my spouse's

(humorous or ironic) you, Mr. or young man


ông

Sino-Vietnamese word from 翁 (“old man”). In Japanese, the same character corresponds to 嫗 (“old woman”). The character for bà (which corresponds to ông in Vietnamese), 婆 (pó, “grandmother”), actually corresponds to 爺 /爷 (yé, “grandfather”) in Chinese and Japanese.


chúng ta

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ taː˧˧]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ taː˧˧]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ taː˧˧]

chúng (pluralising particle) + ta (“I; me”).

compound

Chúng ta có hiểu không ạ?

(Northern Vietnam, colloquial) you guys; y'all


chúng tôi

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ toj˧˧]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ toj˧˧]

chúng (pluralising particle) + tôi (“I; me”).

(regular usage in Northern Vietnam, formal in other dialects) we/us (exclusive); compare chúng ta (inclusive, including the listener)


chanh

(neologism) a non-binary pronoun meant to act in the place of chị and anh.


bác

From Late Proto-Vietic *paːk (“uncle, father/mother's older brother”), from Middle Chinese 伯 (MC paek, “uncle”) (SV: bá).

inh

paternal aunt-in-law, father's elder brother's wife


chị

→ Khmer: ចែ (cae)

From Proto-Vietic *ɟiːʔ, from Old Chinese 姊 (OC *[ts][i]jʔ) (B-S) (SV: tỉ). The voicing dissimilarity of the onset is unexplained.

Lớn rồi mà chị chẳng tin
Chị vẫn coi em như ngày còn bé
Em đã lớn vượt xa điều chị nghĩ
Khổ hơn nhiều cái khổ chị lo
Vui hơn nhiều cái vui chị cho
Trên đường đi bước thành bước bại

(Can we date this quote?), Xuân Quỳnh, Chị [My Sister]:

I'm all grown-up and you still don't trust me
You keep treating me like I were still your baby sister
I've grown way out of what you thought of me
I'm struggling way more than you could help me with
I'm way happier than you could ever make me
On my path in life, when I succeed as well as when I fail


đây

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant

đâu. 3 From earlier *C-raːw. 4 Placed before the head: bây nhiêu ()

bao nhiêu. 5 Placed after the head: nhanh vầy ()

these demonstratives might have been used to assert that something is visible and

or verifiable. They have been bleached quite thoroughly and currently are usually used like other distal demonstratives. The biggest trace of their evidentiality might be in their usage as final particles

còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ()

From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!

Chính hắn đây chứ không ai khác.

emphasizes the very thing or person here


mẹ

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-mẹ.wav

From Proto-Vietic *meːʔ ~ *mɛːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *meeʔ ~ *ʔmeeʔ (“mother”); cognate with Bahnar mĕ, Khmer ម៉ែ (mae), Mon မိ (mìˀ), Khasi mei. Ultimately a nursery word, compare Old Chinese 母 (*mɯʔ) and Proto-Tai *meːᴮ (whence Thai แม่ (mɛ̂ɛ)). Related to mái.

(địt con) mẹ mày


bạn

Bạn cho mình hỏi Quận 1 đi đường nào.

Could you show me the way to District 1?

(especially Southern Vietnam) you, a peer of mine


cụ

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 故 (SV: cố). Doublet of cố.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">cố</i>


mình

head

命, 𠇮, 𠵴, 𨉓, 𨉟

vi-adv

命, 𠇮, 𠵴, 𨉓, 𨉟

Attested as mềnh, mình, in the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651).
The form mềnh appears to be more conservative and was widely used in the Northern dialects, while the now common form mình seems to be originally Central-Southern. In Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651), a dictionary based chiefly on the Northern dialects, mềnh was the much more common form. In Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum (1838), a dictionary based chiefly on the Southern dialects, the form mềnh has no entry, while mình is abundantly attested. The Muong Bi cognate miềnh also points to mềnh as being the more conservative form (cf. Vietnamese đến vs. Muong Bi tiểnh, Vietnamese ếch vs. Muong Bi iếch, etc.)
Compare bệnh vs. bịnh, nghênh vs. nghinh, lệnh vs. lịnh.
For the semantic relationship, compare:
* Chinese 身 (shēn, “body > oneself”) as well as Japanese 胴 (dō, “torso”), which came to mean "oneself" in Kyūshū.
* Chinese 身 (shēn, “body > I, me”).

Năm ngoái, có mình Nhân lên đại học.
Last year, only Nhân started attending university.

mình mình

Hillel the Elder, quoted in Pirqē Aḇoṯ 1:14 (original in Hebrew); English translation by Joshua Kulp
Mình không vì mình, thì ai vì minh? Mình vì [mình] mình, thì mình là gì? Không lúc này, thì lúc nào?
If I am not for myself, who is for me? But if I am for my own self [only], what am I? And if not now, when?


cô

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-cô.wav

(informal) Short for cô giáo (“female teacher”).


mày

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 眉 (“eyebrows”, SV: mi); compare mi (“eyelashes”).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">mi</i>


Anh

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-Anh.wav

(literary, endearing) Alternative letter-case form of anh; he/him, the young Ho Chi Minh


tê

Tui muốn cái tê.


chả

head

炙, 鲊, 鮓, 鯺, 鮺, 𤌄

vi-noun

炙, 鲊, 鮓, 鯺, 鮺, 𤌄

炙 (CJK)
鲊 (CJK)
鮓 (CJK)
鯺 (CJK)
鮺 (CJK)
𤌄 (CJK)

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 鮓 (“minced and salted fish”, SV: trả).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">trả</i>

vi-etym-sino

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-chả.wav


thị

(archaic or literary or formal, derogatory) she/her, that criminal

(archaic or literary, derogatory) you, bitch


họ

head

họ • (户, 戶, 𢩜, 𣱆)

vi-noun

họ • (户, 戶, 𢩜, 𣱆)

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-họ.wav

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 戶 (“family”, SV: hộ). Doublet of cửa and hộ.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">hộ</i>

vi-etym-sino

Dân Đông Á dùng họ trước tên sau. Người Tây dùng tên trước họ sau.

East Asians have their family names come first. Westerners do the opposite.

Hai Bà Trưng họ gì?
Họ Hai!
What was the family name of the Two Ladies Trưng?
Two!


bây

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *piʔ; cognate with Khasi phi, Pacoh ipe, Central Nicobarese [Nancowry] ifē and possibly Mon ဗှ်ေ.

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-bây.wav


muội

(Chinese fiction) I; you (refers to the female junior among the speakers)


bồ

(colloquial) boyfriend; girlfriend; date; romantic partner


ấy

head

意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚

ấy • (意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚)

vi-determ

意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚

ấy • (意, 衣, 𧘇, 倚, 𱍸, 𪬫, 𫢚)

意 (CJK)
衣 (CJK)
𧘇 (CJK)
倚 (CJK)
𱍸 (CJK)
𪬫 (CJK)
𫢚 (CJK)

Diachronically, this is probably a Northern Vietnamese innovation occured some time between the stages of Proto-Vietnamese and attested Northern Old Vietnamese. It is amply attested in the oldest Nôm texts (which are all in Northern Old Vietnamese or its offshoot(s)), yet has no cognate in the Muong lects, and usage of this morpheme by Central and Southern speakers clearly indicates borrowing. It also does not neatly fit into Proto-Vietnamese demonstrative paradigm with its zero-initial.
The situation can probably be hypothesized as


本身

chữ Hán form of bản thân (“self; oneself”).


anh ấy

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ ʔəj˧˦]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[ʔan˧˧ ʔəj˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) he (man of equal or slightly greater social status)

ông ấy

man of significantly greater social status


ông ấy

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔəj˧˦]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔəj˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) he (older or respected man)

anh ấy

man of equal or slightly greater social status


chị ấy

[t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ʔəj˧˦]

[t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[cɪj˨˩˨ ʔəj˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) she (who is somewhat older than the speaker)


cô ấy

[ko˧˧ ʔəj˧˦]

[kow˧˧ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[kow˧˧ ʔəj˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) she (towards a young girl or woman)


bà ấy

[ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔəj˧˦]

[ʔɓaː˦˩ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔəj˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) she (woman of higher social status, e.g., older)


thầy

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 師 (SV: sư). Doublet of sư. Feudal Han or Nom teachers were generally male, hence the strictly modern use for male teachers.
The written form thày used to be common in the Northern dialects, now mostly eradicated in writing, although the pronunciation itself likely still remains in less mainstream Northern dialects.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">sư</i>

vi-etym-sino

he/him, that male teacher we're talking about


huynh

(period Chinese fiction, faux archaism) you (used when speaking to a young man on equal footing)

period Chinese fiction; faux archaism; period Chinese fiction; faux archaism


tớ

head

tớ • (四, 伵, 佐)

vi-noun

tớ • (四, 伵, 佐)

Originally a noun meaning "servant".
For the semantic development, see also tôi.

đầy tớ

tôi tớ

chủ tớ

(archaic, now largely a fossil word) a servant


hắn

From Proto-Vietic *hanʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(ʔ)anʔ ~ *ʔən; cognate with Car Nicobarese an (“he, she, it”), Pacoh án (“relative pronoun, that, which”).
Insertion of initial *h in Vietic can also be seen in *tŋ-ʔaːm (“jaw”) (> Vietnamese hàm, Late Vietic), *huːɲ (“to kiss”) (> Vietnamese hôn), *heːt (“finished”) (> Vietnamese hết), *haːr (“two”) (> Vietnamese hai), *hɔːŋʔ (“river, brook”), *haːŋʔ (“to open (mouth)”).

cog

Đi kêu hắn về cho tau!

Tụi hắn cứ đánh chắc hoài!

Those idiots keep fighting again and again!

(archaic as a neutral pronoun in Northern and Southern dialects, familiar or informal in Central Vietnam) he/him; she/her

(derogatory in Northern and Southern dialects) he/him

(informal, endearing) he/him, my boyfriend

(informal, endearing) he/him, your boyfriend


cả nhà

[kaː˧˩ ɲaː˨˩]

[kaː˧˨ ɲaː˦˩]

[kaː˨˩˦ ɲaː˨˩]

cả (“the whole/entire”) + nhà (“family”). Compare Chinese 大家.

com

Cả nhà ơi, hôm nay có họp về quy chế lương mới nhé !

Guys, there's a meeting on the new payroll policy today!

Mình gửi file cho cả nhà xem nè.

Check out this file I've just sent, guys!

(informal, endearing) you guys, all the people in my circle


chúng

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥]


chúng tao

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ taːw˧˧]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ taːw˧˧]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ taːw˧˧]

chúng (pluralising particle) + tao (“I; me”).


chúng mình

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ mïŋ˨˩]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ mɨn˦˩]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ mɨn˨˩]

chúng (pluralising particle) + mình (“I; me; we”).

(familiar, respectful) we/us (inclusive)


chúng mày

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ maj˨˩]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ maj˦˩]


chúng nó

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥ nɔ˨˩˦]

[cʊwŋ͡m˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

chúng (pluralising particle) + nó (“he; she; it”).


tiểu nhân

[tiəw˧˩ ɲən˧˧]

[tiw˧˨ ɲəŋ˧˧]

[tiw˨˩˦ ɲəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 小人 (“villain”).

vi-etym-sino

Zuo Zhuan; 2018, Vietnamese translation by Huỳnh Chương Hưng

I, the low-born one, still have an elderly mother; she has tasted every kind of foods at home, yet she has never tasted delicacies belonging to you, my ruler. Now I beg you the ruler to allow the low-born me to bring these pieces of meat home to my mother.

Tiểu nhân còn mẹ già, những thứ ở nhà bà đều đã ăn qua, chỉ chưa nếm được những món ngon của quốc quân. Nay xin quốc quân cho phép tiểu nhân đem những miếng thịt này về nhà cho mẹ.

(Chinese fiction, humble) I/me, a low-born person


thiếp

Sino-Vietnamese word from 妾 (“concubine”).


thiếp

俍众妾胋陳濁

c. 1800, Hồ Xuân Hương, Đánh cờ [A Game of Xiangqi]:

(archaic, now literary, chiefly fiction, women's speech, endearing) I/me (referring to a beloved woman)


nơi

Đó là nơi tôi lớn lên.


đẳng

Sino-Vietnamese word from 等 (“rank, grade”).

nhất đẳng/đẳng 1
1 dan; shodan

Murata/Suzuki bảy/thất đẳng
7-dan Murata/Suzuki


mọi người

[mɔj˧˨ʔ ŋɨəj˨˩]

[mɔj˨˩ʔ ŋɨj˦˩]

[mɔj˨˩˨ ŋɨj˨˩]

mọi (“every”) + người (“person, human being”).

com

Mọi người thấy có được không ạ !

everybody; everyone; guys; you guys; y'all


ngộ

Borrowed from Cantonese 我 (ngo5, ngã). See also nị (“thee”).

Coordinate term: nị

Ngộ sẽ páo chù!

(Southern Vietnam, originally towards a Cantonese speaker, now humorous, especially in mimicking stereotypical "Chinese" speech) I; me


cậu

From Proto-Vietic *guːʔ, from Old Chinese 舅 (OC *[ɡ](r)uʔ) (B-S) (SV: cữu).

(honorific) you, my young master, my old master's son

(narratology) he/him, a young boy or man


tỉ

(Chinese fiction) you (used when speaking to a young woman on equal footing)


bạn gái

[ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ ɣaːj˧˦]

[ʔɓaːŋ˨˩ʔ ɣaːj˨˩˦]

[ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˨ ɣaːj˦˥]

a girlfriend (female partner in a romantic relationship)


bạn trai

[ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːŋ˨˩ʔ ʈaːj˧˧]

[ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˨ ʈaːj˧˧]

a boyfriend (male partner in a romantic relationship)


𠊛

chữ Nôm form of người (“indicates people, except infants”).


𠊛

chữ Nôm form of người (“you; he/him; she/her”).


mô

Mi đi mô về rứa?

Chơ đi mô rồi cũng nhớ về Hà Tĩnh.
Wherever I go, I always miss my hometown Hà Tĩnh.


mô

Hắn có biết mô.

Tau có ăn mô mà biết.

I didn't eat it, why would I know how it tastes?


nghỉ

head

𢪀, 𠉝, 擬, 己, 忋, 𱎢, 󱬈

vi-verb

𢪀, 𠉝, 擬, 己, 忋, 𱎢, 󱬈

𢪀 (CJK)
𠉝 (CJK)
擬 (CJK)
己 (CJK)
忋 (CJK)
𱎢 (CJK)

The earlier meaning is "easy", as seen in Hồng Đức quốc âm thi tập (洪德國音詩集, 15th century) and Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (1651). The current meaning "to rest, to take a break" probably developed from "to take it easy".

ltc-l

顗 (MC ŋɨiX, “(obsolete) quiet, peaceful, easeful reposeful”)

to get to temporarily leave work (e.g., for holiday/vacation, for pregnancy, etc.)


cái này

Tôi không thích cái này.

Cái này là gì?


bao nhiêu

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ɲiəw˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ɲiw˧˧]

[ʔɓaːw˧˧ ɲiw˧˧]

bao (“how”) + nhiều (“many; much”). In compounds, bao triggers tonal shift of the following syllable to the ngang tone (A1), compare bao lăm (“how many”) (< lắm (“many”)) and the obsolete bao dai (“how long”) (< dài (“long”)).


cặc

The indefinite pronoun sense evolves from the noun sense owing to the Jaspersen's cycle, by which, for instances, French negative pronouns pas, personne, and rien evolve.

Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải (《南交古金里巷歌謠註解》 "Past & Present Folk-ballads from the Hamlets and Alleyways of Jiao[zhi] in the South - Annotated "), folio 193b
󱥕(Nứng)󱥌(cặc)辰(thì)搏(vác)𦥃(đến)茄(nhà)
[If] [your] cock [were] hard, then carry [it] to [my] home.


anh trai

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]

[ʔan˧˧ ʈaːj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-anh trai.wav


chị gái

[t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ɣaːj˧˦]

[t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ɣaːj˨˩˦]

[cɪj˨˩˨ ɣaːj˦˥]

(rather childish) you (used for a female who the speaker assumes is somewhat older than them)


Bác

Ellipsis of Bác Hồ (literally “Uncle Hồ”)

ellipsis

(informal, endearing) I/me, the old Ho Chi Minh

(informal, endearing) you, the old Ho Chi Minh

(informal, endearing) he/him, the old Ho Chi Minh


ôông

North Central Vietnam form of ông; a grandfather or an old man


ôông

Ôông khỏi lo! Chừ miềng đang phát triển thêm nghề phụ. Ôông biết đan lát, ôông lên mần tổ nghề phụ.

1972, Mai Ngữ, Dòng sông phía trước, page 196:

Don't worry! You're picking up a second trade now. You know how to knit, you're a master at the second trade.

1944: Nguyễn Tuân, "Một truyện không nên đọc vào lúc giao thừa", Trung Bắc Chủ Nhật, 23 January 1944 (Tết issue), in Truyện không nên đọc vào lúc giao thừa (2003), Lưu Minh Sơn ed., Văn học Publishing House, p. 481 http://ttvnol.com/threads/mot-truyen-khong-nen-doc-vao-luc-giao-thua-nguyen-tuan.80475///books.google.com/books?id=AnBkAAAAMAAJ
Ôông phà tối với tôi tử tế quá.

North Central Vietnam form of ông; you; he; him (refers to a man of middle age and above)


奴婢

chữ Hán form of nô tì (“slave; servant”).


ngài

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with Muong ngài.


ổng

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ông in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Dòng nhớ" (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
Đó là lúc "ổng", tức ba tôi chống cây gậy khật khừng lang thang xuống bến.

That was when "he", my father, went wandering down the wharfs with his walking stick.

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) he; him (older or respected man)


bả

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root bà in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

(colloquial, Southern Vietnam, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) she; her (woman of higher social status)


bị cáo

[ʔɓi˧˨ʔ kaːw˧˦]

[ʔɓɪj˨˩ʔ kaːw˨˩˦]

[ʔɓɪj˨˩˨ kaːw˦˥]


bà con

[ʔɓaː˨˩ kɔn˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˦˩ kɔŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaː˨˩ kɔŋ˧˧]


choa

(regular usage in North Central Vietnam, humorous in other dialects) we; us (exclusive)


đó

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *tɔʔ (“that, there”). Cognate with Khmer ដ៏ (dɑɑ) and Bahnar to.

Tao mới coi tối qua. Hơi bị hay đó ! Bữa nào mày cũng dành thời gian coi đi !

I finally saw it yesterday. Really good, I must say. You should go see it when you have the chance.

Em mới đến nên không biết, thằng này khùng lắm đó !

You've just moved here so you might not have known, but he's pretty screwed up in the head.

(Southern Vietnam) emphasizes a quality that the listener may not have known; you see?; I'm telling you


Người

Proto-Vietic *ŋaaj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *(m-)ŋaaj (“human being; person”)

inh

Genesis 1:31; 2011 Vietnamese translation from KPA version; 2021 English translation from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Thiên Chúa thấy mọi sự Người đã làm ra quả là rất tốt đẹp! Qua một buổi chiều và một buổi sáng: đó là ngày thứ sáu.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.


quý vị

[kwɪj˨˩˦ vɪj˨˩ʔ]

[wɪj˦˥ vɪj˨˩˨]

[wɪj˦˥ jɪj˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 貴位 (“honoured position”).

vi-etym-sino

kính thưa quý vị…


quý khách

[kwɪj˨˩˦ kʰat̚˦˧˥]

[kwɪj˨˩˦ xat̚˦˧˥]

[wɪj˦˥ kʰat̚˦˥]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 貴客 (“guest of honour”).

(polite, respectful) honoured guest; guest of honour


ông bà anh chị em

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˦˩ ʔɛɲ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔan˧˧ cɪj˨˩˨ ʔɛm˧˧]

ông bà (“grandparents”) + anh chị em (“siblings”)

compound

2010: Patrick Joseph McGrath, Diocese of San José in California https://web.archive.org/web/20160221184428/http://ctk-sjc.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/April20_BishopMcGrathLetter_VietnameseBW.124125626.pdf
Trên hết, tôi đặc biệt tri ân qúy ông bà anh chị em, tất cả giáo dân trong 53 giáo xứ và họ lẻ trong giáo phận.

Above all, I am particularly grateful to [marker of respect] you, all the faithful of the 53 parishes and missions of the diocese.

brothers and sisters
brothers and sisters

(Christianity, polite) brothers and sisters; you


ÔBACE

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔajŋ̟˧˧ t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˦˩ ʔɛɲ˧˧ t͡ɕɪj˨˩ʔ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔan˧˧ cɪj˨˩˨ ʔɛm˧˧]

2005, Rite of Burial in the Season of Easter, 2002 Roman Missal, translated by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, approved 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114251/https://www.catholic.org.tw/vntaiwan/sachleroma/lechung15.htm
Xin thương đón nhận ÔBACE vào nhà Chúa, nơi đầy tràn ánh sáng và bình an.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your servant N. may pass over to a dwelling place of light and peace.

(Christianity) Placeholder for any of the pronouns ông, bà, anh, chị, or em, to be used as appropriate.


từng

đọc từng chữ một

Ở ngã tư có đèn đỏ nhấp nháy, xe phải ngừng và được chạy từng chiếc một theo ưu tiên.

At an intersection with flashing red lights, vehicles must stop and proceed one by one according to (arrival) priority.

(từng + classifier word + một) one by one; one at a time; going through each one individually


anh em

[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʔɛm˧˧]

[ʔan˧˧ ʔɛm˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-anh em.wav

Ý tôi là thế, anh em thấy thế nào?

So that was my opinion, what do you guys think?


đệ

Sino-Vietnamese word from 第 (“ordinal marker”).

vi-etym-sino

(only before Sino-Vietnamese numerals) ordinal number marker, used only to mark the generation of a person who shares their name with their parents or grandparents, equivalent to the use of I, II, III, etc. in English.


thanh niên

[tʰajŋ̟˧˧ niən˧˧]

[tʰɛɲ˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

[tʰan˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 青年, composed of 青 (“grue; youthful”) and 年 (“year”). Compare Japanese 青年 (seinen, “youth; a male youth”).

cog

(formal) related to late adolescence or early adulthood


thanh niên

[tʰajŋ̟˧˧ niən˧˧]

[tʰɛɲ˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

[tʰan˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

thanh niên/nam thanh nữ

Tuổi của thanh niên phải định lại từ 18 đến 29. Về thanh nữ thì từ 18 đến 25.

2001, the Communist Party of Vietnam, “CHỈ THỊ CỦA TRUNG ƯƠNG Về việc củng cố Thanh niên cứu quốc, phát triển Đoàn Thanh niên Việt Nam để thống nhất mặt trận thanh niên [THE CENTRAL DIRECTIVE Regarding improving the Youth’s Save-the-Nation movement and maturing the Vietnamese Youth Union to unify youth’s battlefronts]”, in VĂN KIỆN ĐẢNG TOÀN TẬP [THE PARTY’S COMPLETE RECORDS], volume 9, Nhà xuất bản Chính trị Quốc gia, page 357:

The age of male youths must be re-established as 18 to 29. As for female youths, 18 to 25.

(obsolete) a male late teenager or young adult


thanh niên

[tʰajŋ̟˧˧ niən˧˧]

[tʰɛɲ˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

[tʰan˧˧ niəŋ˧˧]

Bớt đi thanh niên.

Thanh niên nghĩ mình là ai vậy?

The heck do you think you are/does he think he is?

(colloquial or humorous, men's speech) you/he/him, a young dude


ngươi

From Proto-Vietic *ŋaːj, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *[m]ŋaaj (“human being; person”). Cognate with người (“person”), ngài.

Genesis [Sáng Thế Ký] 17; 1925 Vietnamese translation by Phan Khôi; 2021 English translation from the New Revised Standard Version
Thiên hạ chẳng còn gọi ngươi là Áp-ram nữa, nhưng tên ngươi sẽ là Áp-ra-ham, vì ta đặt ngươi làm tổ phụ của nhiều dân tộc.
No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
Đức Chúa Trời phán cùng Áp-ra-ham rằng: còn Sa-rai, vợ ngươi, [ngươi] chớ gọi là Sa-rai nữa; nhưng Sa-ra là tên người đó.
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. …

Các ngươi là quan tại nhiệm, khi trở về, phải bảo dân gắng sức làm ruộng, xử án phải cho công bằng, nếu có trộm cướp, phải hết lòng lùng bắt, không được thờ ơ lười biếng.

1993, Ngô Sĩ Liên with Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Phu Tiên, “Nhân Tông Tuyên Hoàng Đế”, in Viện Khoa học Xã hội Việt Nam, transl., Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư [The Complete Annals of Great Viet]:

You are incumbent mandarins, once [you] come back, [you] must tell the people to work hard on the paddies, [you] must judge cases justly, investigate robberies and thefts -if there be- to the best of your ability, and never be lazy and complacent.

(archaic or literary) you (to address perceived inferiors)


thẩy

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root thầy in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam) Equivalent to thầy ấy (“he; him”).


lão

(narrative or literary) I/me (used by an old man)

(narrative or literary, respectful) he/him (an old man)

narrative or literary; respectful; narrative or literary; respectful


cưng

chó cưng

Bé cưng của mẹ ơi!


đấy

Anh đang chờ ai đấy?

(Northern Vietnam) sentence-final particle used in questions for asking in a more polite way


hoàng thượng

[hwaːŋ˨˩ tʰɨəŋ˧˨ʔ]

[hwaːŋ˦˩ tʰɨəŋ˨˩ʔ]

[waːŋ˨˩ tʰɨəŋ˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 皇上, composed of 皇 (“emperor”) and 上 (“upper”), from Chinese 皇上 (huángshang)

vi-etym-sino

Your (Chinese or Vietnamese) Majesty
Your Majesty

(archaic) you, Your (Chinese or Vietnamese) Majesty

His (Chinese or Vietnamese) Majesty
His Majesty

(archaic) he/him, His (Chinese or Vietnamese) Majesty


không ai

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[xəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

« [...] Tạo-hóa cho họ những quyền không ai có thể xâm-phạm được, trong những quyền ấy, có quyền được sống, quyền tự-do và quyền mưu cầu hạnh-phúc. »

1945, Hồ Chí Minh, Tuyên-ngôn Độc-lập của nước Việt-Nam Dân-chủ Cộng-hòa [Declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam]; English translation based on Ho Chi Minh: Selected Works, volume 3, Hanoi: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1960–1962, pages 17–21:

"… They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness".

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, "Biển người mênh mông" (in Cánh đồng bất tận), Trẻ publishing house
Nhưng không ai nhắc Phi cắt tóc đi, đàn ông đàn ang ai để tóc dài.

But no one told Phi to cut his hair, that a man shouldn't let his hair grow long.


trẫm

Qin Shi Huang, quoted in c. 91 BCE, Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian; 1971 English translation by Burton Watson; Vietnamese translation by Phan Ngọc
Trẫm là Thủy Hoàng Đế, các đời sau cứ theo số mà tính: Nhị Thế, Tam Thế đến Vạn Thế truyền mãi không cùng

We ourselves shall be called First Emperor, and successive generations shall be numbered consecutively: Second, Third, and so on until for 1,000 or 10,000 generations, the succession passing down without end.

1429, Lê Lợi, quoted in 1759, Lê Quý Đôn, Đại Việt thông sử (Thorough Historical Records of Great Việt); 1973, Vietnamese translation by Lê Mạnh Liêu
Trẫm là người thế nào, mà mệnh trời trao cho chức Đế Vương? Và trẫm nhờ ở điểm nào mà dựng nên được công nghiệp lớn này?

What kind of man am I, that by the Mandate of Heaven (I) have been granted Emperorship and Kingship? And what personal qualities have I relied on to build up all these great achievements and merits?

(imperial, archaic) I; me (similar to the royal we)


ai ai

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔaːj˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-ai ai.wav


nơi nơi

[nəːj˧˧ nəːj˧˧]

[nəːj˧˧ nəːj˧˧]

[nəːj˧˧ nəːj˧˧]


vả

vi-etym-hoi

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root va in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá


bản thân

[ʔɓaːn˧˩ tʰən˧˧]

[ʔɓaːŋ˧˨ tʰəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˦ tʰəŋ˧˧]


mụ

From Proto-Vietic *muːʔ. Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 姥 (SV: mỗ).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">mỗ</i>

vi-etym-sino

Làm việc nhiều quá mụ cả người.


cán bộ

[kaːn˧˦ ʔɓo˧˨ʔ]

[kaːŋ˦˧˥ ʔɓow˨˩ʔ]

[kaːŋ˦˥ ʔɓow˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese, Japanese 幹部 (kanbu, “cadre”).

làm cán bộ

to be a government employee; to work for the government


toà

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 座 (SV: toạ).

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">toạ</i>


kìa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 其 (“that; those”, SV: kì). Related to kia.

der

SV: <i class="Latn mention" lang="vi">kì</i>

vi-etym-sino

hôm kìa

ngày kìa

năm kìa

(colloquial) there (farther than “kia” but still visible); over there


ẻm

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root em in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam, in the singular, polite, certain regions of Thanh Hoá) they/them, that person who's a little younger than me


người người

[ŋɨəj˨˩ ŋɨəj˨˩]

[ŋɨj˦˩ ŋɨj˦˩]

[ŋɨj˨˩ ŋɨj˨˩]

Reduplication of người (“people, person”).


đích thân

[ʔɗïk̟̚˧˦ tʰən˧˧]

[ʔɗɨt̚˦˧˥ tʰəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗɨt̚˦˥ tʰəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 的 (“true; truly”) and 身 (“body; self”).

vi-etym-sino

oneself (doing something usually relayed to others oneself)


nớ

nơi nào. 2 Can be used on its own

where; no longer completely true in the modern language

where; this much; where *C is nonspecific consonant

còn những ba cái cầu nữa cơ mà! ()

From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!


ngoải

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root ngoại (“maternal grandparent”) in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.

vi-etym-hoi

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) she or he (referring to one's ông ngoại or bà ngoại)


khứa

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam, derogatory) he; that bloke


nãy giờ

[naj˦ˀ˥ zəː˨˩]

[naj˧˨ jəː˦˩]

[na(ː)j˨˩˦ jəː˨˩]

(colloquial) (time period) from a moment ago until now; up until now; for a short while


nẩu

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root nậu (“band; gang”) in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.


moả

Word formation with distal denotation by adding hỏi tone to the root moa in Southern Vietnamese and some topolects of Thanh Hoá.
Also borrowed from French moi (“me”).

(dated, Southern Vietnam, humorous) I, me


mỏa

Traditional tone placement spelling of moả.


nhiêu

Sino-Vietnamese word from 饒. Doublet of nhiều.

(historical) exemption from corvees, or one who is exempt


hổi

head

hổi • (𤍃) (diminutive reduplication hôi hổi)

𤍃 (CJK)
hôi hổi (diminutive reduplication)


cái gì

[kaːj˨˩˦ jɪj˦˩]

cái (“something”) + gì (“what; whatever”).


người ta

[ŋɨəj˨˩ taː˧˧]

[ŋɨj˦˩ taː˧˧]

[ŋɨj˨˩ taː˧˧]

người (“person”) + ta (“I; we”). The various senses are semantically equivalent to Mandarin 人家, Cantonese 人哋 (jan⁴ dei⁶).

Qua nhà người ta chè chén cả đêm không biết ngượng à ?

You stayed at their house partying all night. Have you no shame?

Anh đem đồ đạc này mau đưa cho người ta mang về đi.

Người ta có coi mình ra cái gì đâu!

he/him / she/her / they/them, that/those specific person/people, as opposed to me/us


đại nhân

[ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ ɲən˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ ɲəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ ɲəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 大人. The suffix and pronoun are derived from the noun.

(honorific, archaic, now fiction) lord/lady; -sama; -dono


đại nhân

[ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ ɲən˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ ɲəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ ɲəŋ˧˧]

(honorific, archaic, now fiction) you, my lord/lady


đại nhân

[ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ ɲən˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ ɲəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaːj˨˩˨ ɲəŋ˧˧]

Mencius; Vietnamese translation by Nguyễn Hiến Lê; English translation by Robert Eno

When one counsels a powerful man one must view him as very small and ignore his grandeur.

Khi mình giảng giải với hạng đại nhân thì mình đừng nghĩ tới địa vị của họ, đừng nhìn cái cảnh cao sang vòi vọi của họ.

(rare, obsolete or historical) important man, powerful man, great man, magnate, grandee


khanh

1429 Lê Lợi, quoted in 1759, Lê Quý Đôn, Đại Việt thông sử (Thorough Historical Records of Great Việt); 1973, Vietnamese translation by Lê Mạnh Liêu
Các khanh như thấy mệnh lệnh của trẫm, hoặc có điều nào bất tiện trong việc quân việc nước; hoặc vô cớ bắt dân phục dịch; hoặc đánh thuế nặng, hoặc tà dâm; hoặc bạo ngược, lập tức phải tâu xin sửa chữa, không được theo xuôi.

You ministers, if [you] see that among Our commands and orders there'd be any thing inconvenient to military or national affairs, or forced labor imposed on the people without cause, or excessive taxation, or nefariousness or lasciviousness, or tyranny or oppression, [you] must immediately petition for rectification [and] must not acquiesce!

(imperial, archaic, friendly) you term of address used by monarchs toward ministers or consorts


ái khanh

[ʔaːj˧˦ xajŋ̟˧˧]

[ʔaːj˨˩˦ kʰɛɲ˧˧]

[ʔaːj˨˩˦ xɛɲ˧˧]

[ʔaːj˦˥ kʰan˧˧]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-ái khanh.wav

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Jessica Nguyen (Pamputt)-ái khanh.wav

Hoà ái khanh,...

Vua U Vương hỏi rằng: — Ái khanh không thích âm nhạc thì thích thứ gì? Bao Tự nói: — Thiếp tôi chẳng thích thứ gì cả, chỉ còn nhớ hôm xưa tay xé tấm lụa, tiếng kêu sàn sạt nghe cũng vui tai.

20th century [17th century], Feng Menglong, chapter 2, in Nguyễn Đỗ Mục, transl., Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou States:

King You asked: “What do you my darling like if not music?” Bao Si said: “I your concubine do not like anything at all; I only remember that I tore a sheet of silk with my hand yesterday and the ripping and rending sounds pleased my ears.”

(Chinese fiction, endearing, by a Chinese monarch to his favorite courtiers or consorts) "my dear courtier"; "my darling consort"; you


bần tăng

[ʔɓən˨˩ taŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓəŋ˦˩ taŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓəŋ˨˩ taŋ˧˧]

(Chinese fiction, Buddhism, humble) "this poor monk;" I; me


cô nương

[ko˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

[kow˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

[kow˧˧ nɨəŋ˧˧]

(polite in Chinese fiction or humorous or ironic in Southern Vietnam) you, young lady


chú mày

[t͡ɕʊw˨˩˦ maj˦˩]

(chiefly men's speech, pompous, disrespectful, familiar or even endearing) you, boy (addressing a younger or socially inferior male)

chiefly men's speech; pompous; disrespectful; familiar or even endearing; chiefly men's speech; pompous; disrespectful; familiar or even endearing


công tử

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ tɨ˧˩]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ tɨ˧˨]

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ tɨ˨˩˦]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 公子, composed of 公 (“duke”) and 子 (“child; son”), Literary Chinese 公子 (gōngzǐ).

vi-etym-sino

(Chinese fiction, polite) you, young gentleman


bệ hạ

[ʔɓe˧˨ʔ haː˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓej˨˩ʔ haː˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓej˨˩˨ haː˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 陛下, from Chinese 陛下 (bìxià).

(archaic) you, Your (East Asian) Majesty


tại hạ

[taːj˧˨ʔ haː˧˨ʔ]

[taːj˨˩ʔ haː˨˩ʔ]

[taːj˨˩˨ haː˨˩˨]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-tại hạ.wav


nô tài

Sino-Vietnamese word from 奴才 (“servant”)


nô tì

Chỉ có giai cấp quyền quý như các vương hầu, công chúa, các thế gia vọng tộc và các phú hộ mới nuôi nô tì. Nô tì là con nhà nghèo bị cha mẹ bán cho các nhà quyền quý hoặc phú hộ. Cũng có trường hợp người độc thân vì quá nghèo nên tự bán mình làm nô tì như mẹ của vua Lê Uy Mục.

2023 January 7, Bùi Quý, “Chế độ nô tì của nước Việt xưa có gì đặc biệt? [What was Unique about Slavery in Feudal Vietnam?]”, in Dân Việt [The People of Vietnam]:

Only the aristocracy (vassals, princesses, nobles and bourgeois) was entitled to keeping slaves. Slaves were children sold off by their poor parents to the aristocracy. There were cases where desolate people, for abject destitution, sold themselves off into slavery, such as Emperor Lê Uy Mục's mother.

(historical) an East Asian slave or bondsperson, forced into slavery for crime, debt or poverty; compare nô lệ (general or western slave) and nông nô (“serf”)


quả nhân

[kwaː˧˩ ɲən˧˧]

[kwaː˧˨ ɲəŋ˧˧]

[waː˨˩˦ ɲəŋ˧˧]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 寡人, composed of 寡 (“lonesome”) and 人 (“person”).

late 4th century BCE, Zuozhuan; 2020, Vietnamese translation by Huỳnh Chương Hưng

Prithee, serve Yuyi as he'll rule the altars and the state, then I, though dead, will have no regret.

Xin ông phụng sự Dữ Di làm chủ xã tắc, quả nhân có chết cũng chẳng hối hận gì

late 4th century BCE, Mencius; Vietnamese translation by Nguyễn Hiến Lê; English translation by A.C. Muller
Như quả nhân đây có thể bảo hộ dân chúng được chăng?

“Is someone like me capable of taking care of the people?”

(Chinese fiction, humble, by an East Asian monarch) I/me


các hạ

[kaːk̚˧˦ haː˧˨ʔ]

[kaːk̚˦˧˥ haː˨˩ʔ]

[kaːk̚˦˥ haː˨˩˨]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-các hạ.wav


thằng này

(literal) he/him, this guy we're talking about


con này

[kɔŋ˧˧ naj˦˩]

(literal) she/her, this gal we're talking about


mẫu hậu

[məw˦ˀ˥ həw˧˨ʔ]

[məw˧˨ həw˨˩ʔ]

[məw˨˩˦ həw˨˩˨]

Sino-Vietnamese word from 母后, composed of 母 (“mother”) and 后 (“empress consort”), from Chinese 母后 (mǔhòu).

(Chinese fiction, by an empress consort's child) you, my mother the empress


mầy

(Bình Định, Phú Yên, humorous in many dialects) you (second person singular pronoun)


bố nó

[ʔɓo˧˦ nɔ˧˦]

[ʔɓow˨˩˦ nɔ˨˩˦]

[ʔɓow˦˥ nɔ˦˥]

Sao không làm bố nó đi !

Oh for heaven's sake, just do it already!

Thằng ôn dịch đó làm hỏng bố nó rồi !

(Northern Vietnam, sentence-final) conveys annoyance or regret


mẹ nó

[mɛ˧˨ʔ nɔ˧˦]

[mɛ˨˩ʔ nɔ˨˩˦]

[mɛ˨˩˨ nɔ˦˥]

(Northern Vietnam) you, our child(ren)'s mom


ai nấy

[ʔaːj˧˧ nəj˧˦]

[ʔaːj˧˧ nəj˨˩˦]

[ʔaːj˧˧ nəj˦˥]


nấy

(now chiefly in certain expressions) that (person or thing)


tụi nó

[tuj˧˨ʔ nɔ˧˦]

[tuj˨˩ʔ nɔ˨˩˦]

[tuj˨˩˨ nɔ˦˥]

tụi (pluralising particle) + nó (“he, she, it”).


đằng ấy

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ ʔəj˧˦]

[ʔɗaŋ˦˩ ʔəj˨˩˦]

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ ʔəj˦˥]

đằng (“way; direction”) + ấy (“that”). Compare Japanese 彼方 (anata, “that way; you”).

Đằng ấy cứ đùa!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, familiar or humorous) you, my pal or gal


phô bay

[fo˧˧ ʔɓaj˧˧]


bầy tui

[ʔɓəj˨˩ tuj˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˦˩ tuj˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˨˩ tuj˧˧]

(Huế, informal, familiar) I/me (used by someone with status equal or higher than his or her conversational partner, but doesn't want to sound too intimate to them)


đằng này

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ naj˨˩]

[ʔɗaŋ˦˩ naj˦˩]

[ʔɗaŋ˨˩ na(ː)j˨˩]

(Northern Vietnam, familiar or humorous) I/me, your pal or gal


hết cả

[het̚˦˧˥ kaː˧˨]

[həːt̚˦˥ kaː˨˩˦]

LL-Q9199 (vie)-Penn Zero MSSJ-hết cả.wav


bầy quân

[ʔɓəj˨˩ kwən˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˨˩ wəŋ˧˧]

(Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Huế, endearing) you (addressing one's spouse)


nhà quân

[ɲaː˨˩ kwən˧˧]

[ɲaː˦˩ kwəŋ˧˧]

[ɲaː˨˩ wəŋ˧˧]

(certain North Central Vietnam dialects, friendly) I; me

certain North Central Vietnam dialects; friendly; certain North Central Vietnam dialects; friendly

(certain North Central Vietnam dialects, friendly) we; us


bần đạo

[ʔɓən˨˩ ʔɗaːw˧˨ʔ]

[ʔɓəŋ˦˩ ʔɗaːw˨˩ʔ]

[ʔɓəŋ˨˩ ʔɗaːw˨˩˨]

Đạo nhân kia nói: – Bần đạo quả thật rất thô lỗ, xin tạ lỗi ở đây.

2005, chapter 1, in Cao Tự Thanh, transl., Anh hùng xạ điêu, Văn học, translation of 射雕英雄传 by Jīn Yōng (Kim Dung):

The Taoist monk said, "I'm so rude, please accept my apologies."


mọi lúc

[mɔj˧˨ʔ lʊwk͡p̚˧˦]

[mɔj˨˩ʔ lʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥]

[mɔj˨˩˨ lʊwk͡p̚˦˥]


ti chức

[ti˧˧ t͡ɕɨk̚˧˦]

[tɪj˧˧ t͡ɕɨk̚˦˧˥]

[tɪj˧˧ cɨk̚˦˥]

Bọn ty chức không biết đại nhân quang lâm, không kịp ra đón từ xa, xin đại nhân tha tội.

2005, chapter 2, in Cao Tự Thanh, transl., Anh hùng xạ điêu, Văn học, translation of 射雕英雄传 by Jīn Yōng (Kim Dung):

We didn't know Your Highness was about to grace us with your presence and didn't therefore go out to greet you; I beg Your Highness's forgiveness.


tiểu đệ

[tiəw˧˩ ʔɗe˧˨ʔ]

[tiw˧˨ ʔɗej˨˩ʔ]

[tiw˨˩˦ ʔɗej˨˩˨]

Tiểu đệ bất tài, tìm suốt một ngày một đêm mà không có đầu mối gì.

2005, chapter 25, in Cao Tự Thanh, transl., Anh hùng xạ điêu, Văn học, translation of 射雕英雄传 by Jīn Yōng (Kim Dung):

I'm incompetent; I searched for a full day and a night without finding any leads.


mỗ

[…] Khưu mỗ thà mất mạng chứ há lại cam tâm quị lụy bọn gian tà?

[…] I, Qiū, would rather die; why would I consent to grovelling before evildoers?


mềnh

Historically, this is the Northern form with more conservative nucleus, while the currently common in writing mình is the Central-Southern form.
However, it is not clear if the current usage of mềnh as a pronoun, which is mostly seen in the Internet and carries a jocular or humorous undertone, is a direct continuation of the Northern form, or simply a later alteration of the Central-Southern mình. There is a significant gap in written continuation of mềnh between the works of Alexandre de Rhodes, which recorded dialect(s) of Northern Vietnam, and the modern usage.

(obsolete) Alternative form of mình (“torso; body”)


𠊚

Alternative form of 𠊛 (“chữ Nôm form of người (“human being”).”)


𠊚

Alternative form of 𠊛 (“chữ Nôm form of người (“indicates people, except infants”).”)


𠊚

Alternative form of 𠊛 (“chữ Nôm form of người (“you; he/him; she/her”).”)


𠊚

Alternative form of 𠊛 (“chữ Nôm form of ngài (“human”).”)


𠊚

Alternative form of 𠊛 (“chữ Nôm form of ngài (“Sir”).”)


bủh

In the Telex input method, mistyping bruh as burh produces "bủh". Riffs off the preexisting borrowing bro, which itself flouts Vietnamese spelling rules. Popularized by the meme Bruh. Ultimately a shortening of English brother from African-American Vernacular English.

(slang, Vietnam) Eye dialect spelling of bruh.


nị

Coordinate term: ngộ

(Southern Vietnam, originally towards a Cantonese speaker, now humorous, especially in mimicking stereotypical "Chinese" speech) thou, you (second-person pronoun)


này nọ

[naj˨˩ nɔ˧˨ʔ]

[naj˦˩ nɔ˨˩ʔ]

this, that, and the other
this, that, and the other

this and that; this, that, and the other


ta đây

[taː˧˧ ʔɗəj˧˧]

[taː˧˧ ʔɗəj˧˧]

[taː˧˧ ʔɗəj˧˧]

朗𡎢渗󰣇𡴯頭
些低沛摱埃兜麻浪
娘陀別典些庒
𣷭沉淪垃朱平買催

1820, Nguyễn Du (阮攸), Đoạn trường tân thanh (Truyện Kiều)^(https://vi.wikisource.org/wiki/Truyện_Kiều_(bản_Liễu_Văn_Ðường_1866)):

He listened, then nodded:
"With me here, you don't need to talk to anyone else!
You came here when you knew about me,
[To help you,] I would destroy even the sea of misery!"

Lặng ngồi thấm thía gật đầu:
"Ta đây phải mượn ai đâu mà rằng!
Nàng đà biết đến ta chăng,
Bể trầm luân, lấp cho bằng mới thôi!"

19th century, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Tale of Lục Vân Tiên:
些低拱固𠬠昆𠸜𱺵裴儉奴群於京
Ta đây cũng có một con,Tên là Bùi Kiệm, nó còn ở kinh.
I (focusing) also have a son,His name is Bùi Kiệm; he's still at the capital.

(typically men's speech, self-elevating or topic-marking when used in historical texts, rare and pompous when used in real life) I; me

typically men's speech; self-elevating or topic-marking when used in historical texts; rare and pompous when used in real life; typically men's speech; self-elevating or topic-marking when used in historical texts; rare and pompous when used in real life


Ngài

Genesis 31:1; 2013 Vietnamese translation from Easy-to-Read version (Bản Phổ Thông ~ BPT); 2021 English translation from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Đức Chúa Trời thấy các việc Ngài đã làm thật rất tốt lành. Vậy, có buổi chiều và buổi mai; ấy là ngày thứ sáu.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2024 March 13, Giuse Phạm Đình Ngọc, “Thiên Chúa là Ai trong Kinh Thánh?”, in Hội Đồng Giám Mục Việt Nam [Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam]:
Thiên Chúa là Đấng Tối Cao và Hằng Hữu, Ngài tạo dựng, cứu chuộc và thánh hóa mọi loài với sự khôn ngoan và tình yêu.

God is the Supreme and Eternal Being; He creates, redeems, and sanctifies all living things with wisdom and love.

(Christianity) Synonym of Người (“He/Him, (referring to God)”)


ai đó

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔɗɔ˧˦]

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔɗɔ˨˩˦]

[ʔaːj˧˧ ʔɗɔ˦˥]

Có ai đó ở trước cửa.


Mẹ

Lạy Mẹ Maria là Mẹ của con, xin giúp con được sống và sống dồi dào!

2023 May 30, Quang Sáng, “Mười cách để nhận biết Đức Maria là Mẹ của chúng ta [Ten Ways to Know that Mary is Our Mother]”, in TGP Sài Gòn:

O Our Lady Mary, my Mother, please bless me with life and prosperity!

(chiefly Christianity) Alternative letter-case form of mẹ (“mother”), specifically in reference to Mary


bấy nhiêu

[ʔɓəj˧˦ ɲiəw˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˨˩˦ ɲiw˧˧]

[ʔɓəj˦˥ ɲiw˧˧]

Anh không thể đếm
Đã có bấy nhiêu đêm phải kiếm tìm
Kiếm thêm một lí do
Cho cuộc tình không tên

2023 October 2, Đăng Duy Tân (lyrics and music), “Cắt đôi nỗi sầu [Cut the sorrow in half]”:

I couldn’t count
How many nights I've had to seek,
To find another reason
For this nameless love


tụi tui

(Southern Vietnam, between speakers of equal social status) we/us (exclusive)


lứ

Coordinate term: hoá

"Tôi với lứ đi Bạc Liêu một chuyến đi."

2007, Linguistic Society of Vietnam, edited by Huỳnh Công Tín, Từ điển Từ ngữ Nam Bộ [Southern Vietnamese Dictionary], Cần Thơ: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội, page 780:

"Let us [I and you] visit Bạc Liêu for a trip."

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial, probably obsolete, towards a Teochew speaker) thou, you (second-person pronoun)

probably obsolete; towards a Teochew speaker; probably obsolete; towards a Teochew speaker