cô chú
[ko˧˧ t͡ɕu˧˦]word by word
The English phrase "aunt and uncle" translates to Vietnamese as cô chú.
cô chú is used to refer to the siblings of one's parents.
Which one should you use?
To refer to the siblings on the mother's side, one would use dì (maternal aunt) and cậu (maternal uncle) instead of cô chú.
Did you know?
- In Vietnam, it is common to use cô or chú to address complete strangers on the street if they appear to be of the same generation as the speaker's parents.
- In a school setting, the word cô is not just for aunts but is the standard respectful way to address a female teacher.
- Depending on the region and family hierarchy, the words for 'aunt' and 'uncle' change based on whether the relative is older or younger than the parent.
Examples in context
- Bác Mai, xin chào!Hello, Aunt Mai!
- Chú Hoàng, chúc mừng sinh nhật!Happy birthday, Uncle Hoang!
- Bác, ở nhà điều hòa hư rồi.Uncle, the air conditioner at home is broken.
- Tôi rất yêu quý cô chú.I love my aunt and uncle very much.
- Cô chú vừa mới đến.Aunt and uncle just arrived.
Example conversation
Tuấn and Chi are talking about their visiting relatives.
- TuấnCô chú đã đến nhà chưa, Chi?Have aunt and uncle arrived at the house yet, Chi?
- ChiCô chú đang ở trong bếp.Aunt and uncle are in the kitchen.
- TuấnĐể Tuấn đi chào cô chú.Let Tuấn go say hello to aunt and uncle.
- ChiỪ, đi đi.Yeah, go ahead.
