rượu
[ziəw˧˨ʔ]
The Vietnamese word for alcohol is rượu.
rượu is a broad term used for most types of alcoholic beverages, including wine, spirits and traditional rice liquors. You can use it specifically by adding descriptors: Rượu vang means wine, and Rượu mạnh means spirits or hard liquor.
Meaning: intoxicating beverage (noun)
Which one should you use?
While rượu is used for spirits and wine, the specific word used for beer is bia.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the northern regions of Vietnam, rượu ngô is the term for corn wine. In the southern regions, rượu đế is a term for rice wine.
When do people say it?
The term rượu đế specifically refers to traditional, often strong, homemade rice spirits that are common in Vietnamese culture.
Did you know?
- Traditional rượu is often infused with herbs, insects or snake venom to create medicinal liquors known as rượu thuốc.
- Vietnamese drinking culture traditionally involves a ritual called '1, 2, 3, dô!', where everyone shouts 'dô' (meaning 'in' or 'enter') in unison before drinking.
- In Vietnam, the term rượu đế describes traditional rice spirits, but the word 'đế' literally translates to 'emperor'.
Examples in context
- Tom uống rượu dù không nên.Tom drinks alcohol even though he shouldn't.Tatoeba #13870174 by leucammieuvu, translation #13866548 by Ergulis
- Uống rượu không tốt cho bạn.Drinking alcohol is bad for you.Tatoeba #13897660 by leucammieuvu, translation #13897356 by kylewii
- Anh ta hơi thở toàn mùi rượu.His breath reeks of alcohol.Tatoeba #11475670 by OneJanuary, translation #4695280 by sundown
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mai and Hùng are deciding what to buy for a party.
- MaiChúng ta có cần mua rượu không?Do we need to buy alcohol?
- HùngCó, mọi người đều thích uống rượu.Yes, everyone likes drinking alcohol.
- MaiTôi sẽ mua một ít rượu vang.I will buy some wine.
- HùngĐược, đó là ý kiến hay đấy Mai.Okay, that is a good idea, Mai.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rượu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
