Untranslatable Vietnamese Words // Five You Should Know

Learn Some Vietnamese Words That Don’t Translate To English 😲

Did you know there are actually quite a few Untranslatable Vietnamese words, and today we want to teach you some of the most commonly used ones!

Learning Vietnamese is not a speedy process but a marathon.

This language is beautiful but challenging because not all words can be directly translated into English.

So on that note, here are some words to in Vietnamese that just simply do not translate to any languages!

Before we start we also thought you’d be interested in these equally fascinating topics as well!

• Vietlish – Discover some Vietnamese words you already know!
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• Discover these must follow Vietnamese Youtube channels

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – Ơi

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – Nha

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – Ạ

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – Ầu ơ

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – Ấy

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words – FAQ’s

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words #1 | Ơi

Ơi is commonly used after second personal pronouns such as em, anh, chị, con, etc to give a sentence a call for attention.

It’s kind of like hey in English but with a little twist.

Unlike “hey” in English, “ơi” can be widely used no matter how old are you and how old is a person whom you speak to.

EXAMPLES

Con ơi, dậy đi 

Hey baby, wake up!

It’s also the way we respond to the call of a peer or a person.

Ba ơi.  

Ơi, ba đây

Hey, dad!
Yes. I’m here

Another final example…

Em ơi, mình đã yêu nhau bao lâu rồi?

Honey, How long have we been together?

Top Vietnamese Songs (For Learning The Language)

Mastering Vietnamese is not easy for non-native speakers but there are ways you might not think of that can help – Vietnamese songs is one of those.

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words #2 | Nha

When you learn Vietnamese, besides the meaningful vocabulary, some unofficial words are often put at the end of the sentence by native speakers.

You know in English some people add “like” to a sentence. It’s not technically correct but it’s a very spoken thing to do.

If you ask a Vietnamese person what Nha means, It’s hard for him or her to elaborate! It’s one of those odd words.

We often say “nha” at the end of a sentence in a more endearing way to soften the meaning of the statement made.

It makes the command less harsh and allows the speaker to come across in a more gentle tone.

EXAMPLES

A: Anh ơi, em nấu cơm còn anh rửa chén nha.

B: Ok em.

Honey, I cook and you please wash dishes
Ok, honey

It also draws the listener’s attention in an intimate way with the intention of expecting the listener to agree.

A: Em về nha. Ngày mai gặp nha.

B: Ừ, em về nha. Bái bai em.

I go home. See you tomorrow.
Ok, you go home. Bye bye honey.

In spoken Vietnamese in the Mekong delta, there are various forms of saying “nha”, for example, “nhé”, “nghen”, “nhe”.

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words #3 | Ạ

If you talk to the youth of Vietnam, especially kids, you will notice that they often naturally say “ạ”.

So, what’s “ạ”?

It’s simply one auxiliary word used to express your respect, politeness, and adorability to the elder listeners.

EXAMPLES

A: Cháu là người nước nào?

B: Dạ Cháu là người Mỹ ạ.

Where are you from?
I’m from America.

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words #4 | Ầu ơ

The children of Vietnam, especially those from the countryside, were born and grew up listening to some form of Lullaby.

Lullaby singing is a sort of folk music often heard in Vietnam starting with the phrase “ầu ơ”.

In order to make the child slowly fall asleep, the song’s rhythm is mostly quiet, smooth, simple, and gentle. 

Most of the lyrics are spread through by word from generation to generation.

Thus, these songs are diverse in lyrics but having one thing in common is the beginning of lullaby – ầu ơ.

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words #5 | Ấy

In general, foreigners find that the Vietnamese way of addressing others is far too complicated compared to “I” and “you” in English.

However, there is one thing simpler about the Vietnamese way and that is the word “ấy” which is to say a gender-neutral third-person personal pronoun, for example, “bạn ấy”.

EXAMPLES

A: Bạn ấy là trai hay gái?

B: Bạn ấy là con trai. 

Your friend is boy or girl?
He is a boy

Not only does it refer to the third person, but it also implies an object when the object is already understood.

A: Lấy dùm em cái ấy đi chị

B: Cái điện thoại phải không?

Please give it to me
Is it a mobile phone?

There is another meaning also!

In Vietnamese, “ấy” is an indirect way of speaking to keep other people from being offended or feeling uncomfortable.

For example, Vietnamese rarely talk directly about sex, thus we would say “chuyện ấy” or “ấy” as a replacement word.

Like in English we’d maybe say “do it“… this is how Ấy works.

There we have it. Some of the most used untranslatable words in Vietnamese.

We hope you understood our explanations and the meanings of these really handy words.

Do you know anymore? Why not tell us below in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!

If you like this sort of topic then why not check out some of our favourite untranslatable words in Mandarin, or even the latest Korean words to be added to the English dictionary as well!

So much fascinating stuff to get stuck into 🤩

Untranslatable Vietnamese Words // FAQ’s

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