anh
[ʔajŋ̟˧˧]
In Vietnamese, anh is a pronoun used to address an older brother or a man slightly older than the speaker.
The pronoun anh is a polite way to address a man who is slightly older than the speaker, such as an older brother or a male colleague. In professional environments, you can show respect by combining anh with a job title. In more casual settings, you may address someone informally by using anh along with their nickname.
Which one should you use?
While anh is used for men who are slightly older than you, the term ông is used for much older men or grandfathers to show appropriate respect for their age. When you address a man as anh, you will typically refer to yourself as em to indicate the age hierarchy.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a third person (he or him) who is slightly older than the speaker, you use the form anh ấy by adding the particle ấy to anh.
Did you know?
- In many romantic relationships, a woman will address her husband as anh and he will address her as em regardless of their actual age difference.
- In Vietnamese culture, the kinship terms anh and em are used so broadly that they create a 'pseudo-family' network between strangers, colleagues and friends.
- While 'anh' is a common way for spouses to address each other, more wealthy families historically used the titles 'cậu' and 'mợ' instead.
Examples in context
- Anh Nguyễn, xin chàoHello, Mr. Nguyễn.
- Anh có khỏe không?Are you doing well, brother?
- Em chào anh.Hello, brother.
Example conversation
Mai greets Hùng at a coffee shop.
- MaiChào anh Hùng!Hello, Hùng!
- HùngChào Mai, em khỏe không?Hello Mai, are you well?
- MaiEm khỏe, cảm ơn anh.I am well, thank you.
- HùngAnh cũng khỏe.I am also well.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry anh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
