hói
[hɔj˧˦]
The English word "bald" is translated into Vietnamese as hói or trọc.
Meaning: having little or no hair (adj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| hói | [hɔj˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [hɔj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| trọc | [t͡ɕawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
Both words describe a person with little or no hair.
Which one should you use?
trọc describes someone who is completely bald or has a completely shaved head.
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing the condition of being bald, hói is often paired with đầu (head) to form the phrase hói đầu. To describe someone suffering from the undesirable condition of hair loss, you use the verb bị before the word, resulting in bị hói. To refer to a bald head as a noun phrase, you can use đầu trọc.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese slang, calling someone đầu trọc (bald head) can sometimes imply they are a 'tough guy' or a person involved in street gangs.
- In Vietnamese culture, the phrase đầu trọc is strongly associated with Buddhist monks who shave their heads as a sign of detachment from worldly desires.
- The word trọc is a linguistic descendant of the 17th-century term tlọc found in early Portuguese-Vietnamese dictionaries.
Examples in context
- Tom bị hói đầu.Tom is bald.This sentence shows how to use hói to describe someone's condition.Tatoeba #8796407 by dotheduyet1999, translation #1025079 by CK
- Bạn có hói không?Are you bald?This sentence uses hói to ask a question about hair loss.Tatoeba #13634617 by leucammieuvu, translation #3172411 by CK
- Âu lo nhiều quá thì sẽ hói đầu đấy.If you worry too much, you'll go bald.This sentence illustrates using hói to describe the result of worrying too much.Tatoeba #8956456 by dotheduyet1999, translation #4717964 by CK
- Anh ấy đã bắt đầu bị đầu hói từ khi còn rất trẻ.He started going bald at a very young age.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Lan are looking at a photo of a relative.
- HùngNgười đàn ông hói trong ảnh là ai vậy?Who is the bald man in the photo?
- LanĐó là bác trai nhà em.That is my uncle.
- HùngBác ấy trông rất vui tính.He looks very funny.
- LanĐúng vậy, bác ấy rất hiền.Yes, he is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bald” translations and entries hói, trọc, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hói, trọc, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
