㐌

Nôm form of đã (“already, past marker”).


總

chữ Hán form of tổng (“general; overall; comprehensive”).


ha

Đẹp ghê ha ?

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) yes?; no?; m'kay?; amirite?


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

Sao kì vậy ta?

Why so strange? / What's wrong with you?

Ông già quê ở đâu ta?

Giỏi quá ta!

(colloquial, informal) final particle used to reinforce a question, to express surprise, or to indicate familiarity with whom the person is speaking with


à

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

Thế à?

Cháu mới về à?

Nhóm mày có bốn người thôi à?

There's only four members in your group, isn't there?


với

Cognate with Muong Bi pỡi.
Probably related as etymology 1, as prepositions in Vietnamese are most often originally verbals.
The form vuối used to enjoy widespread usage in both Northern and Southern dialects, but is now completely obsolete. This form might be the diphthongized equivalent of vói (“to stretch out, to reach out”) mentioned above.

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

Cho con đi với.

Mày rảnh làm dùm bố với.

If you're free, how 'bout give your old man a hand?

at the end of a sentence, indicates a request for inclusion or help


nghe

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

From Proto-Vietic *ŋɛː. Cognate with Toum ŋɛː¹. Compare Chong [Kasong] tŋeː.

Về nhớ làm bài nghe!

Don't forget to do your homework when you return (home).

(colloquial, chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) okay?


(Bình Định, Phú Yên) interrogative particle


phải

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

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 被 (“to suffer; passive marker”, SV: bị) (Old Chinese: /*m-pʰ(r)ajʔ, m-pʰ(r)ajʔ-s, mə-pʰ(r)aj, pʰ(r)aj-s/ in Baxter and Sagart (2014), along the semantic evolution of “to have to endure; to suffer” > “have to; must” > “correct” > “right (in direction)”. It may reflect an Old Chinese pronunciation /*N-pʰ(r)ajʔ-s/ with the loss of a nasal prefix as is also seen in other early loans (Sagart, per. comm.).
The common Vietic word for “right” is Proto-Vietic *dam ~ *tam, whence the now-archaic đăm.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

yes (in response to a question containing phải)


í

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

Pronunciation spelling of ấy, representing Northern Vietnam Vietnamese.


a

Bây giờ mới đi a?

Thật thế a?

(rare) Used to indicate a question that is asked out of perplexity or sarcasm.


ru

Part of the r-series of demonstratives, along with rày, ri, rứa, sao, and potentially also răng, rằng.

(literary, dated) final particle used for negation or to form rhetorical questions

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 ()


há

Ấy há phải là ác hay sao?


mà

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

Within Austroasiatic, compare Pacoh ma (“but, topicalizer”) and Old Mon ma (“relative marker”).

Tôi có làm gì đâu mà!

Ngon mà, sao chê dữ vậy?

It tastes pretty good tho/actually, not sure why you gotta shit on it that much.

(colloquial) Final affirmative particle, indicating emphasis or contrast.

thấy mà ghê

nghĩ mà sướng

(colloquial) An intensifier, placed before an adjective or verb


đâu

Part of the đ-series of demonstratives along with đây, đấy, đó.

Anh mày đâu có làm ba cái chuyện vặt này!

The hell you think I am? I ain't do this kinda crap!

Tôi đâu biết cậu về hôm nay đâu!

Hôm qua mày chôm kẹo của tao phải hôn?
Đâu có!
You stole my candy yesterday didn't ya?
I did no such thing!

Chắc mày làm sai chỗ này.
Đâu, tao làm y chang hướng dẫn mà!
I think you're doing it wrong here.
No way, I'm doing exactly like it shows in the instructions!

Em đâu có biết
Bố mẹ bị SIDA
Ông bà là tướng cướp
Giết người là chuyên gia.
I had no idea
My parents had AIDS
My grandparents were gangsters
Who were homicidal maniacs.

Em đâu có biết
Lúc mặt trời sinh ra
Mặt trời là nước mắt
Suốt một đời mẹ cha.

1998, Thanh Tùng (lyrics and music), “Giọt sương trên mí mắt [A Dewdrop on My Eyelid]”:

I had no idea
When the sun was born
The sun would come to be tears
For my parents' lifetime.

Tao không đến nhà nó đâu! Thằng đó ở dơ lắm!

No way I'll come to his house! That guy has the worst hygiene!

Nó không biết đâu! Đừng hỏi làm gì mất công.

No way he knows! Don't waste your time asking him.

Tôi có / đâu biết cậu về hôm nay đâu!

Không / Hổng dám đâu!

(at the end of a sentence) reinforces negation


nè

Nó nè !

Coi nè !

Anh mày nè !

Qua đây ! Có cái này hay lắm nè !

Come quick! There's something real cool I wanna show you!

(Southern Vietnam) particle demanding attention to something; take a look!


nào

Nào anh em ơi !

Nhanh lên coi nào!

Hurry up will ya! / Stop draggin' your feet!

Chúng ta đi nào!


wá

bùn wá à

(Internet slang) Eye dialect spelling of quá, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


cho

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

From Proto-Vietic *cəː; cognate with Arem cʌː.
Most prepositions in Vietnamese were originally verbs: ở (“to stay; at, in”), đến (“to come; to”), tới (“to arrive; to”), lên (“to go up; onto”), vào (“to enter; in, into”), theo (“to follow; according to”), về (“to return; about”).

Để tôi làm cho!


sẽ

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

Hội nghị sẽ diễn ra vào tháng 8 tại toà thị chính.

The conference will be held at the city hall in August.

(formal or literary) marks the future tense

Nếu là chim tôi sẽ là loài bồ câu trắng
Nếu là hoa tôi sẽ là một đoá hướng dương
Nếu là mây tôi sẽ là một vầng mây ấm
Là người, tôi sẽ chết cho quê hương

(Can we date this quote?), Trương Quốc Khánh (lyrics and music), “Tự nguyện [My Wishes]”:

If I were to be a bird, I would be a white pigeon
If I were to be a flower, I would be a sunflower
If I were to be a cloud, I would be a warm one
As a human being, I will die for my country

(literary) marks a desire or a hypothetical


rồi

lâu rồi không gặp


chưa

head

𣗓, 𣠕, 渚, 猪, 諸, 豬, 𣠖, 𤀞, 𬄞, 𬚍, 󱋃

chưa • (𣗓, 𣠕, 渚, 猪, 諸, 豬, 𣠖, 𤀞, 𬄞, 𬚍, 󱋃)

vi-particle

𣗓, 𣠕, 渚, 猪, 諸, 豬, 𣠖, 𤀞, 𬄞, 𬚍, 󱋃

𣗓 (CJK)
𣠕 (CJK)
渚 (CJK)
猪 (CJK)
諸 (CJK)
豬 (CJK)
𣠖 (CJK)
𤀞 (CJK)
𬄞 (CJK)
𬚍 (CJK)

Mày chưa chết hử?


đã

head

đã • (㐌, 吔, 諸)

vi-particle

đã • (㐌, 吔, 諸)

Đã xong!

Bờ biển Nha Trang đẹp thế nào? Tôi đã đi Nha Trang bao giờ đâu mà biết.

How beautiful the Nha Trang beaches are? I have never been to Nha Trang so how can I know?

Cha tôi không đóng vai trò gì trong cuộc tháo chạy ấy, ông im lặng, khi đã đi khá xa, cha ra đằng mũi cầm sào.

2005, Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, “"Cánh đồng bất tận" chapter 2”, in Cánh đồng bất tận, NXB Trẻ:

My father did not play any role in this escape at all; he kept silent; when we had gone some distance, he went to the prow and took the pole.

(before action verb) having completed this action, perfect aspect

Near-synonym: rồi

[…] "Đã là chiến sĩ, phải là người lính thực thụ cầm súng ngoài chiến trường",[…]

1978, Chu Lai, chapter 1, in Nắng đồng bằng, NXB Quân đội Nhân dân:

[…] "Having become a fighter, you must now be a true soldier wielding your gun on the battlefield," […]

'Chưa giàu đã già' là một trong những gánh nặng được TS Bùi Tôn Hiến chia sẻ[…]

2021, Linh Lan, “Gánh nặng 'chưa giàu đã già'”, in Tuổi trẻ online:

'Not yet rich but already grown old' is one of the burdens Dr Bùi Tôn Hiến spoke about […]

(before stative/adjective) having reached this state

Đôi mắt em hoe đỏ: "Mẹ đã khóc khi em được nhận học bổng ạ".

2022, Phạm Oanh, “"Mẹ đã khóc khi em được nhận học bổng Nguyễn Trường Tộ!"”, in Dân trí:

Her eyes were reddish: "My mother burst into tears when I received the scholarship."

"Ờ, giá như mình đừng có quá nghiêm chỉnh thì biết đâu mình đã có con…"

2002, Nguyễn Khắc Phê, Thập giá giữa rừng sâu, NXB Trẻ, page 53:

"Mhm, if only I hadn't been so strict, who knows I would've had a child…"

irrealis, used in a statement that did not come about due to a condition not being met

Đã có lần Linh tranh luận to tiếng với chính trị viên Cầu về điều này như vậy.

There had been times Linh had loudly argued this way with Political Commissar Cầu.

indicates the statement refers to a time prior to the one suggested by the context

Đi chơi đi ! / Đợi tớ rửa bát xong đã.

Let's go out! / Let me finish the dishes first.

Đi đâu mà vội, chờ cho tạnh mưa đã.

Why rush? Just wait until it stops raining.

Vội gì, cứ ăn cho xong bát cơm đã.

No need to rush, take time to finish your meal first.

(sentence final) indicates the action or task described in the sentence needs to be completed before something else could start


đang

Sino-Vietnamese word from 當, common reading of đương. Unrelated to Malay sedang.

Đã làm xong chưa.
Đang làm.
Have you done yet?
Still working on it.

Tao nhớ lúc đó nó đang chơi ngoài sân.

Đang bận. Không có thì giờ đâu mà đi chơi.

I'm busy right now. I don't have time to go out.

marks the continuous, imperfect aspect of an action or state


như

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

ngu như lợn

giống như

like; as; comparable to; as though; as if


không

Borrowed from Chinese 空 (“empty, nothing, none”). This is now the main negator in Vietnamese and, in formal writing, virtually the only negator; however, see the list of other negators at the end of the entry.
The grammaticalization of không into a negative particle began in the 17th century and coincided with the numerous arrivals of Western businessmen in Vietnam. Because the quantifier "zero" is often used in the context of business, a relationship between "zero" and the verbal particle không was established. The development from "empty, vacant" into the numeral "zero" can also been seen in many Southern Min varieties, as well as Korean 공 (gong).
In the beginning of the 20th century, không replaced the original chief negator chẳng of native Vietnamese origin, coinciding with the establishment of French colonial rule over Vietnam.

Có ai ở nhà không (ạ) ?

Đúng không ?

Mày chưa làm phải không ?

at or near the end of a question, makes it a yes-no question


đi

From Proto-Vietic *diː ~ tiː (“to go, to walk”); cognate with Muong ti, Chut [Rục] tiː², Thavung tiː² and Tho [Cuối Chăm] tiː².
The similarity to 移 (SV: di) is purely coincidental (a false cognate).
The development of the verb "to go" into an imperative marker is a Sprachbund phenomenon. Wu & Huang (2018) and de Sousa (2022) discuss similar usage of "to go" in the Northern Tai and Sinitic lects of Guangxi in particular (Zhuang bae, Nanning Cantonese 去 (hy³³), etc.)

inh

Thôi dẹp đi!

Thấy Chí Phèo không nhúc nhích, cụ tiếp luôn: - Nào đứng lên đi. Cứ vào đây uống nước đã.

Seeing that Chí Phèo wasn't budging, the old man continued, "Get up now. Come here and have some water."

Vậy thì người đi đi!

2007, Quang Vinh, Bảo Thy (lyrics and music), “Vẫn tin mình có nhau [Still Think We've Got Each Other]”:

after a verb, conveys an urging or commanding tone


ý

Alternative spelling of í; Northern Vietnam form of ấy


ờ

Mày biết làm à?
Ờ.
You know how to do it?
Uh-huh.

(colloquial, to an affirmative question) yeah

Mày không biết làm à?
Ờ.
You don't know how to do it?
Nope.

(colloquial, to a negative question) nope


ạ

Chào cụ ạ.

(polite) a particle at the end of the sentence to express formal politeness, especially to seniors


dậy

Eye dialect spelling of vậy, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


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

Chính hắn đây chứ không ai khác.

emphasizes the very thing or person here

Biết làm sao đây.

forms a question expressing uncertainty or doubt

Máy bay gặp tai nạn ở chỗ này đây.

The airplane crashed right in this place.

Sentence-final particle used to point out a place or an event the speaker wants to stress. The place or event can be seen at the moment of speaking.

Chị ấy chắc có chuyện gì không vui đây.

I believe she is unhappy with something.

sentence-final particle used to refer to the speaker's idea or feeling of existence or presence of something without certain proof


được

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 得 (“to get, to obtain”, SV: đắc).
Central-Southern đặng has mostly been displaced by this word.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Anh ta nói và viết được tiếng Anh.

Nhưng tôi còn ham muốn những cái thú mà một cô thiếu nữ không đem đến được.

1938, Thạch Lam, “Nắng trong vườn [Sunlight in the garden]”, in Đời nay [This life]:

But I also desired things a young girl cannot give me.

particle that expresses ability, possibility


vào

From Northern Middle Vietnamese ꞗĕào, ꞗĕaò. Compare the Central-Southern form vô.
The Northern Old Vietnamese form is attested in Phật thuyết đại báo phụ mẫu ân trọng kinh (佛說大報父母恩重經) as 包 (SV: bao), showing that diphthongization already took place in these dialects by then. The Central-Southern form vô started showing up on texts much later, spelled chiefly as 無 (SV: vô), inherited from unattested non-Northern Old Vietnamese dialects without diphthongization.
The usage of vào (especially in writing) by speakers of Central-Southern dialects can be contributed to borrowing from Northern dialects. On the other hand, the undiphthongized Southern form with palatal initial latter spread to the Northern and Central dialects as an interjection.
Most prepositions in Vietnamese were originally verbs: cho (“to give; for”), đến (“to come; to”), tới (“to arrive; to”), lên (“to go up; onto”), ở (“to stay; at, in”), theo (“to follow; according to”), về (“to return; about”).

Làm nhanh vào!

Mặc thật ấm vào kẻo lạnh.

Used at the end of a clause or sentence to ask the listener to do something vigorously.

Chơi lắm vào, bây giờ thi trượt.
Played so much – now your test scores are falling.

Ăn kẹo cho lắm vào để bị đau bụng.

You ate so much candy that you got a stomach ache.

Used at the end of a clause of sentence, usually after lắm or nhiều, to speak critically or reproachfully about excess, implying obvious bad consequences.


dạ

head

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

vi-particle

dạ • (㖡, 也, 唯, 啫)

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

giạ (northern Vietnam, southern Vietnam)

(chiefly Southern Vietnam) yes (answers a question)

Dạ vâng ạ.

An initial particle to express politeness and respect.


phần

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

Sino-Vietnamese word from 分 (“part; portion”), 份, from Middle Chinese 分 (bjunH), 份 (bjunH).
The huyền tone here is rather problematic. The regular tone derivation pattern, based on the original Middle Chinese tone and onset consonant would be as follows:
* 分 (bjunH, “portion”, 去聲／去声 (qùshēng, “departing tone”), 全濁聲母／全浊声母 (quánzhuó shēngmǔ, “voiced obstruent onset”)) > Vietnamese phận, Mandarin 分 (fèn), Cantonese 分 (fan6)
* 分 (pjun, “to divide”, 平聲／平声 (píngshēng, “level tone”), 清聲母／清声母 (qīng shēngmǔ, “voiceless obstruent onset”)) > Vietnamese phân, Mandarin 分 (fēn), Cantonese 分 (fan1)
The huyền tone suggests an unattested Middle Chinese reading:
* 分 (*bjun, “portion”, level tone, voiced obstruent onset) > Vietnamese phần
Alternatively, the huyền tone suggests non-Classical Chinese origin. Compare hè and hạ, mùi and vị, vì and vị.
Doublet of phân and phận. Cognate with Mandarin 分 (fèn) and Cantonese 分 (fan6). See also phần tử and phân tử, and Phần Lan.

vi-etym-sino

một phần tư

năm mươi phần trăm

(arithmetic) used in fractions, between the numerator and the denominator; per; -th


chắc

Nó tưởng nó ngon lắm chắc?

Tưởng có tiền thì muốn làm gì thì làm chắc?

They think they can get away with anything just because they have money?

(colloquial) Marks a rhetorical question, often with an indignant tone


sắp

head

立, 𫁞, 㕸, 拉, 𢯛

vi-particle

立, 𫁞, 㕸, 拉, 𢯛

From Proto-Mon-Khmer *srap (“ready, prepared”); compare Pacoh tiráp, Khmer ស្រាប់ (srap) and Koho prap. Doublet of rắp.


cơ

Không chịu đâu ! Mẹ phải đi cùng cơ !

(literally, “I'm not OK with that! Mom must go with us, and that's the only way I'll accept!”)

(chiefly Northern Vietnam, colloquial, childish) it must be this way, not any other; my way or no way


chưng

In pre-modern writing of a more colloquial nature and original works, chưng was used as a preposition to indicate place and time. However, this particle/preposition was also a literary device widely used in translation of Chinese texts, as a "stand-in" of sort for the Chinese markers 之 (zhī) and 夫 (fú). See Washizawa (2017) for more information.

Assist at the libations in [our] capital

The Classic of Poetry, c. 11ᵗʰ – 7ᵗʰ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

祼將于京

祼将于京

淬𲆾助祭烝几𢄂茹周

late 18th - early 19th century CE, Thi kinh đại toàn tiết yếu diễn nghĩa (詩經大全節要演義 "Explaining the Meanings of the Essentials in the Classic of Poetry"), volume IV, page 2b:

Assist at the sacrificial libations in the Zhou capital

late 17th - early 18th c. CE, Thiên Nam Ngữ Lục Ngoại Kỷ (天南語錄外紀 "Peripheral Records in the Language of the Southern Sky"), 63b
碎俸蔑𠇮落典蒸低
Tôi bỗng một mình lạc đến chưng đây.
I suddenly became lost, alone, and ended up at this place.

古珠法雲佛本行語錄 Cổ Châu Pháp Vân phật bổn hạnh ngữ lục ("Record of what has been said about the origin and deeds of the Cloud Dharma Buddha at Cổ Châu"), Vietnamese translation possibly by Viên Thái 圓態, 1752 version, 4b
𡛔庄固重麻䐗實時磊意蒸埃
Gái chẳng có chồng mà chửa, thực thời lỗi ấy chưng ai?
An unwed girl getting pregnant; verily, because of whose fault?


đồ

Đồ chó má!

Đồ vũ phu!

Đồ độc ác!

Đồ ngu!

(derogatory) A contemptible person. Used with nouns or adjectives to form insults.


mất

head

末, 𠅍, 𡘮, 𠅎, 𠅐, 秩, 失

vi-particle

末, 𠅍, 𡘮, 𠅎, 𠅐, 秩, 失

末 (CJK)
𠅍 (CJK)
𡘮 (CJK)
𠅎 (CJK)
𠅐 (CJK)
秩 (CJK)
失 (CJK)

From Proto-Vietic *ɓǝt. Cognate with Muong Bi bất, Arem bʉt.

Bầy ong hoảng hốt nối nhau bay mất không còn một con.

1957, Đoàn Giỏi, chapter 9, in Đất rừng phương Nam, Kim Đồng:

The swarming bees in their panic all together flew away until not one was left.

used to indicate the absence of something after the action expressed in the verb

Dầm mưa miết vầy thì cảm mất.

You will end up with a cold if you keep going out in the rain unprotected like this.

Chết mất thôi.

placed after an adjective or a verb to indicate something considered unfavourable


ấy

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

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) sentence-ending intensifying particle


kiểu

Kiểu ý nói là...

(colloquial) like; as though; as if; that is to say


bộ

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

Bộ tụi bây thấy chán lắm hay sao vậy?

Do you guys just get seriously bored or what?

sentence-initial question particle, is it that? do...? I bet ...


thôi

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 退 (SV: thối, thoái).
For the tonal correspondence, see other post-reconstructed Old Chinese, pre-Middle Chinese loans such as bèn, buôn, chung, cùng, where words with Vietnamese A/bằng tones correspond to Qieyun system tone C/去聲／去声 (qùshēng). Particularly compare đôi (“pair”), which exhibits the exact same correspondence in the rime as with thôi.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(colloquial, used sentence-finally) that's all; merely; only; just

(colloquial, used sentence-initially) introduces a new statement that contradicts previously stated statement(s)


chúng

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˧˦]

[t͡ɕʊwŋ͡m˦˧˥]


ơi

head

ơi • (㗒, 意, 𠲖, 喂)

vi-particle

ơi • (㗒, 意, 𠲖, 喂)

Lan ơi!
Lan!

Chú gì ơi!

Anh gì ơi! Anh mua giùm em một vé đi ạ.

Big brother, would you care to buy a [lottery] ticket?

Mẹ ơi! Cơm chín chưa ạ?

Trời (đất) ơi!

Con ơi là con!

À (á à à) ơi. Mẹ ru con ngủ cho ngoan.

Hush, little baby, I'm singing you to sleep.

Má ơi, con về rồi nè !

Tía ơi má dìa.

suffixes someone's name or kinship title, used to call for their attention; compare vâng and dạ


vô

Undiphthongized equivalent of Northern vào.
The usage of vào (especially in writing) by speakers of Central-Southern dialects can be contributed to borrowing from Northern dialects. On the other hand, the undiphthongized Southern form with palatal initial latter spread to the Northern and Central dialects as an interjection.

Uống cho lắm vô! Giờ đau đầu!

You drank yourself to death and now you're wondering why you're having a headache!

Mại vô!

(chiefly Central Vietnam and Southern Vietnam) emphasizing sentence-ending particle


mô

Hắn có biết mô.

Tau có ăn mô mà biết.

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


nhé

Tiện thể mua dùm tớ hộp sữa nhé !

While you're at it, buy some milk for me, okay?

Nhớ nhé ! Đừng có quên đó !

Commit it to your memory! Don't you forget it!

(chiefly Northern Vietnam) alright?; okay?; will you?


đê

Thôi dẹp đê!

(colloquial) Alternative form of đi (imperative sentence-ending particle)


đương

Xuân đương tới, nghĩa là xuân đương qua,
Xuân còn non, nghĩa là xuân sẽ già,
A coming spring is a passing spring,
A spring in youth is a spring soon to age,

(dated or Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of đang (progressing action marker)


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


những

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 仍 (“to continue; to be done repeatedly; many; still”, SV: nhưng). Compare nhưng.

der

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

vi-etym-sino

Bài kiểm tra rồi tớ được những tám điểm đấy!

Emphasizes the quantity of noun: as many as; as much as

những hoa là hoa

(colloquial) Emphasizes the abundance and uncountability of something: nothing but


này

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

From Proto-Vietic *-niː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *niʔ ~ *nih (“this”); cognate with Khmer នេះ (nih, “this”), Pacoh nâh (“this”), Khasi kane/une (“this”) and Car Nicobarese në (“these things”). See also nay (“now”) and Central Vietnamese ni (“this”).
Part of the n-series of demonstratives, along with nấy, nớ, nọ, nè.

Này ai ơi!

này Lan

prefixes someone's name or kinship title, used to call for their attention

Khoa này, nghe nói em sắp chuyển nhà hả?

Is it true that you are about to move out, Khoa?

suffixes someone's name or kinship title, usually functions both as a focus marker and signaling a question


ngươi

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

inh

16th century, Nguyễn Thế Nghi's (attributed) Tân biên Truyền kỳ mạn lục tăng bổ giải âm tập chú (新編傳奇漫錄增補解音集註), giải âm/translation of Truyền kỳ mạn lục ("Casual Record of Transmitted Strange-Tales") by Nguyễn Dữ.
碎庭臣𪢍𤽗立言蒸𣦛
Tôi đình thần ghét ngươi Lập Ngôn chưng thẳng.
The mandarins at the royal court hated the (focusing) honest Lập Ngôn.

19th century, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Tale of Lục Vân Tiên:
𠬠𠇮𥄮陣衝無񠡱𤽗骨突打朱最㝵
Một mình nhằm trận xông vô,Cùng ngươi Cốt Đột đánh cho tối ngày.
He threw himself into the battle,Fighting against Cốt Đột regardless of day or night.

(literary, obsolete) prefixes someone's name, functioning either as a vocative or focus marker.


thì

tham thì thâm

Greed will lead to one's downfall (literally, “As for [the fact that one is] greedy, [it will lead to their] bruises”)

Hỏi nó thử xem. Tao thì sao cũng được.

(literally, “Try asking him. As for me, anything is good.”)

Try asking him about it. I'm all for it.

Có chí thì nên.

(literally, “As for [the fact that one] has willpower, [they will turn out] great.”)

So long as you have your will, you will achieve greatness.

Thôi đi cha nội! Mày thì biết cái gì!

(literally, “Stop it, paternal father! As for you, [you] know what?”)

Chồng thì gia trưởng, con thì hư đốn. Thôi tôi chết quách cho rồi!

(literally, “As for [my] husband, [he is] patriarchal, as for [my] children, [they are] naughty. Forget it, I'll die!”)

My husband is a damn patriarch, my children are a spoiled bunch. Just grant me death already!

Làm thì lười, thấy lòng lợn thì gắp lia lịa.

(literally, “As for when you work, you are lazy, as for when you see pig guts, you grab them non-stop.”)

You always goof off, and yet when you see food you take more bites than you can swallow.

(after noun or pronoun or nominalized utterances) as for ..., it is/does/will ...

Nếu ổng hỏi thì làm sao?
Thì cứ vờ như không biết chứ sao!
What if he asks?
Just pretend you didn't know then!
(literally, “If he asks, what [should I do]?
In that case, just pretend you didn't know!”)

Ổng mà hỏi là chết tao!
Thì mày cứ vờ như không biết!
Man, if he asks me, I'm so dead!
Just pretend you didn't know then!
(literally, “He asks, [that will] doom me!
In that case, just pretend you didn't know!”)

(informal) in that case, then ...; well, then ...


vậy

Làm sao hay quá vậy?

Mày làm như mày là bác sĩ vậy.

You're talking like you were a doctor or something.


thời

Sino-Vietnamese word from 時. Doublet of thì and giờ.
Originally a Northern innovation. As a topic marker, thời has mostly been supplanted by thì spreading from the South.

O tròn như quả trứng gà. Ô thời/thì đội mũ, ơ thời/thì mang râu.
O is rounded like a chicken egg. Ô wears a hat, ơ has a beard.

然則／然则 (ránzé) Nhiên tắc=vậy thời, donc.

1920, Nguyễn Can Mộng, “Bài 6”, in Nam học Hán văn khoá bản:

(Northern Vietnam, dated) Alternative form of thì (topic marker)


đấy

Anh đang chờ ai đấy?

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

Máy bay của họ hạ cánh rồi đấy.

(Northern Vietnam) sentence-final particle in statements to express affirmation


dzô

(Southern Vietnam, phonetic spelling) Alternative spelling of vô


hả

interrogative particle: isn't it; aren't you ...


chớ

Chớ có chỉ tay năm ngón vô mặt thiên hạ.

Don't conceitedly point your finger at people.


nha

Bye nha!

Đi đường nhớ cẩn thận nha.

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) alright?; okay?; will you?


nhờ

Thằng này hay nhờ !?

You're a real piece of work, aren'tcha!?


chứ

Nó thà chết chứ không khai.

He'd rather die than testify, I'm telling you.

Mày giỏi trò ăn nói với bạn bè, chứ có biết gì về chuyện vợ chồng đâu mà đi dạy người ta.

You're good at socialising with friends, but not that much about the affairs of marriage to teach people (about it).

Thầy nói thế thôi, chứ người ta hơi đâu mà phạt mày kiểu đấy.

The teacher was just bluffing, no one has the commitment to punish you that way.

Tôi giỏi chịu đựng thôi, chứ thật ra vẫn biết đau.

I just cope with it well, but I still feel pain.

Họ chơi như thế là còn nhẹ tay, chứ họ đánh thật có khi phải mười-không

Them playing like that is still merciful, had they gone all out, it would have been ten-nill.

Compares a predicate or clause stated before it to its supposed alternative, which is nullified in the predicate or clause after. Provides clarification, or implies high credibility, of either or both clauses (or predicates).

Chứ mày nghĩ tao lên trường làm gì ?

Wait, what'd you think I went to the school for?

Chứ theo ông thì tôi phải làm thế nào ?

What do you think I should've done then?

Chứ sao !

Thằng Tú vứt chứ ai vào đây ! Nó suốt ngày chê cái ghế làm xấu mặt tiền nhà mình.
Of course Tú threw it away, who else then? He always complained how that chair was an eyesore in front of our house.

if what comes after is an interrogative word or phrase, implies that you highly doubt there is any alternative to an affirmative answer of the question which has been mentioned before

Ông già mày còn sống đấy chứ ?

at the end of a question, hints that you think what you have said before this particle is true, although you still want to confirm it

Có thế chứ ! Đàn ông đàn ang phải biết làm việc nặng.

That's what I'm talkin' about! You're a man, you're supposed to be able to handle heavy jobs like this.

Khẽ chứ ! Cu Tí đang ngủ !
Quiet! Baby Tí's sleeping!

Người ta cũng biết tiếng Anh chứ bộ !

In case you didn't know, I do speak some English!

at the end of a statement, affirms what comes before this particle and hints that you think your conversation partner was too clueless about it


tựa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 似 (“to resemble”, SV: tự).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

tựa như


hở

Mới về hở?

Sao ngáo vậy hở thằng kia?

God why do you have to be such a dumbass?

Bây giờ mấy giờ rồi hở chị?

(colloquial) final interrogative particle


hỡi

Hỡi đồng bào!

Hỡi người!

Hỡi oai linh, cảnh nước non hùng vĩ!
Là nơi giống hùm thiêng ta ngự trị.
Nơi thênh thang ta vùng vẫy ngày xưa,
Nơi ta không còn được thấy bao giờ!
Có biết chăng trong những ngày ngao ngán,
Ta đương theo giấc mộng ngàn to lớn
Để hồn ta phảng phất được gần ngươi,
—Hỡi cảnh rừng ghê gớm của ta ơi!

1935, Thế Lữ, “Nhớ rừng (Lời con hổ ở vườn Bách thú) [Longing for the Jungle (As Told by a Zoo Tiger)]”, in Mấy vần thơ [Some Poetry Rhymes]:

O the proud spirit, the great scenery!
The place my sacred tiger kind rules.
The place I freely roamed in the old days,
The place I will never get to see ever again!
Do thou know, on these days of tedium,
I am pursuing an immense dream
In which my soul can linger on closely to thee,
—My dear glorious jungle!

The vocative particle, used for direct address.


đặng

(Central Vietnam, dated in Southern Vietnam among younger generations) expresses ability or possibility


rầu

This is the most recognized example of the /oj > əw/ shift in Nẫu dialects. This shift is regular and seems to uniformly affect all items with mainstream /oj/. It also affects at least some items with mainstream /əːj/ through /əːj/ - /oj/ merger, so that mainstream written trời (“sky, heaven”) corresponds to trầu. The /əːj/ - /oj/ merger was not completed before /oj > əw/ happened, so mới did not shift to *mấu; the rest of these /əːj/ then shifted to a velarized /əːˠ/ (phonetically probably [əːɰ]) instead, see trầu quơ.

Biết rầu!


nhỉ

Chắc hay lắm nhỉ?

Bài này khó dữ nhỉ?

This one's really tough, don't you think?


hử

Likely of imitative origin, compare English huh. See also hả.


phỏng

(Northern Vietnam) interrogative particle: isn't it; aren't you ...


dzậy

(Internet slang) Alternative spelling of dậy


ừa

(colloquial) Alternative form of ừ (“yeah, yes”)


dợ

Pronunciation spelling of vậy, representing Southern Vietnam Vietnamese.


ừm

(colloquial, to an affirmative question) yeah

(colloquial, to a negative question) nope


nghen

(Southern Vietnam, colloquial) Synonym of nhé


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


đã và đang

[ʔɗaː˦ˀ˥ vaː˨˩ ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˧˨ vaː˦˩ ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ vaː˨˩ ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]

[ʔɗaː˨˩˦ jaː˨˩ ʔɗaːŋ˧˧]

đã (perfect marker) + và (“and”) + đang (continuous marker).

com

đã và đang phấn đấu

(literary) indicates a perfect continuous aspect


phải không

[faːj˧˩ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːj˧˨ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːj˧˨ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːj˨˩˦ kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧]

[faːj˨˩˦ xəwŋ͡m˧˧]

phải (“true; correct; just”) + không (question marker).

Hôm qua không làm bài tập phải không ?

You didn't do your homework yesterday, did you?


rùi

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative form of rồi


phứt

See bứt, likely originated from a North Central dialect. For pairs of plain (or in many cases, lenited) vs. aspirated initial, compare gảy vs. khảy, quấy vs. khuấy, cứa vs. khứa, bết vs. phết, bỏng vs. phỏng.
See also phắt, a variant.

Làm gì mà ngồi nhơi cả tiếng vậy, ăn phứt đi cho mau nào.

You sure have all the time in the world just for a meal, just eat and be done with it.

Làm phứt đi cho xong.

(colloquial) placed after a verb, indicating the action that should be done with


hầy

Nói nghe hay hầy?

You really are just saying anything huh?

Vậy chứ món đó cũng đâu mắc lắm đâu hầy.

When you think about it, that stuff is actually not that expensive, no?

(Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Sentence-final question particle.


thửa

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 所 (SV: sở).

der

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

vi-etym-sino

(obsolete, chiefly in translations of Chinese texts) Indicates abstract qualities materialized by the orator in speech or writing.

Tân biên truyền kỳ mạn lục (新編傳奇漫錄)
鄭見其人。(官太守体所㝵意。)
Trịnh kiến kỳ nhân (Quan Thái thú thấy thửa người ấy)
Trịnh saw that person.

(obsolete, chiefly in translations of Chinese texts) Used as an equivalent to 所 or 其.


sất

Đối với tôi, chúng chẳng là gì sất!

(colloquial) emphatic particle placed at the end of a negative sentence