xấu
[səw˧˦]
The English word bad can be translated into Vietnamese as xấu or dở.
Meaning: unfavorable, negative (adj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| xấu | [səw˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [səw˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| dở | [zəː˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jəː˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
xấu is a general-purpose word for bad, covering morality, quality and aesthetics. It is used when referring to bad character, bad news or bad appearance/quality.
Which one should you use?
Use xấu when referring to bad character, bad news or bad appearance/quality. In contrast, dở is used specifically to describe something that is poorly made, such as bad singing, bad cooking or a bad movie. dở is used when something lacks skill or is of low quality in performance or taste.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Vietnam, the term dởm is commonly used to mean 'bad' in an informal context.
Did you know?
- If you use the word dởm to describe something 'bad', you are actually implying that the object is a 'fake' or 'counterfeit' version of the real thing.
- The word xấu shares a distant ancestor with the Chinese character 醜, which specifically emphasizes ugliness rather than just general 'badness'.
- If you describe a meal as xấu, you might be seen as insulting the chef's character, whereas calling it dở only criticizes the taste.
Examples in context
- Tôi có tin xấu.I have bad news.This sentence shows how to use xấu to describe news.Tatoeba #3680922 by tucm, translation #2359026 by CK
- Cái đó tốt hay xấu?Is that good or bad?This sentence uses xấu to ask for a distinction between good and bad.Tatoeba #4255208 by phuc, translation #3419815 by CK
- Cô ta là người xấu.She is a bad person.This sentence uses xấu to describe a person's character.Tatoeba #13271070 by leucammieuvu, translation #1654062 by Spamster
- Thời tiết hôm nay xấu.The weather today is bad.
- Bộ phim đó thực sự tệ.That movie was really bad.
- Đồ ăn ở nhà hàng đó dở tệ.The food at that restaurant was really bad.
- hát dởTo sing badly
- nấu ăn dởTo cook badly
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Chi are discussing the weather forecast.
- HùngThời tiết ngày mai rất xấu.The weather tomorrow is very bad.
- ChiVậy chúng ta không nên đi chơi.Then we should not go out.
- HùngĐúng vậy, dự báo nói sẽ có mưa.That's right, the forecast says there will be rain.
- ChiThật là một tin xấu.That is truly bad news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries xấu, dở, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries xấu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
