tuyệt vời
[twiət̚˧˨ʔ vəːj˨˩]
The English word 'awesome' can be translated into Vietnamese, with the default form being tuyệt vời.
tuyệt vời is used to describe something as excellent or exciting. It can function as a standalone exclamation to express excitement or approval, much like saying 'Awesome!' in English.
Meaning: excellent, exciting (adj)
Which one should you use?
While tuyệt vời is the standard term, you can say thật là tuyệt vời to add emphasis, which is similar to saying 'how awesome' or 'truly wonderful'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Sài Gòn dialect of southern Vietnam, the word chất is used to describe something as awesome.
When do people say it?
The phrase tuyệt vời ông mặt trời is a playful, rhyming expression used to mean 'awesome' or 'terrific', similar to how rhyming slang is used in English.
Did you know?
- The word tuyệt in tuyệt vời is a Sino-Vietnamese term originally meaning 'to cut' or 'to sever'. In this context, it implies something so excellent that it cuts off all comparison.
- Vietnamese speakers often use the word đỉnh (meaning 'peak' or 'summit') as a single-word slang for 'awesome', similar to how English speakers might say 'top tier'.
- While tuyệt vời is used for excellence, the southern slang word chất literally means 'material' or 'substance'. Using it to mean 'awesome' implies that a person or thing has high quality and authenticity.
Examples in context
- Tuyệt vời.Awesome.This example shows how to use tuyệt vời as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #13173074 by leucammieuvu, translation #11790290 by ddnktr
- Thật là tuyệt vời khi gặp được anh ở ngoài đời!It was awesome to meet you in real life!This sentence demonstrates the use of tuyệt vời to express excitement about meeting someone.Tatoeba #4950216 by ChinesePoster, translation #991683 by pandark
- tuyệt vời ông mặt trờiTerrific, awesome (rhyming slang)This sentence shows the playful, rhyming expression tuyệt vời ông mặt trời.
- The street food in Sài Gòn is chất!The street food in Sài Gòn is awesome!
Example conversation
Tuấn and Lan are talking about a new movie they just watched.
- TuấnBộ phim đó thật tuyệt vời!That movie was awesome!
- LanĐúng vậy, nội dung rất lôi cuốn.That's right, the content was very engaging.
- TuấnAnh rất thích nhân vật chính.I really liked the main character.
- LanEm cũng thấy vậy.I thought so too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tuyệt vời, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tuyệt, tuyệt vời, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
