gấu
[ɣəw˧˦]
The English word "bear" translates to Vietnamese as gấu.
The primary meaning of gấu is the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a bear as a living animal, you use the classifier con before the noun, resulting in con gấu.
Did you know?
- In modern Vietnamese slang, gấu is used to refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend. This romantic meaning evolved from gấu bông, which means 'teddy bear'.
- The word gấu is also used to describe the hem or cuff of a piece of clothing. In this context, it refers to the folded edge of a sleeve or trouser leg.
- When referring to the 'bear' in 'bear market' in finance, Vietnamese does not use gấu. Instead, it uses terms related to a 'downward trend' or 'falling prices'.
Examples in context
- Con gấu bông màu xanh đẹp hơn chứ.The teddy bear is more beautiful.This example is useful for learning the term for a teddy bear using gấu.Tatoeba #409547 by monodioo, translation #7794339 by sharris123
- Đó không còn là một con gấu nữa, mà là xác gấu rồi.That's not a bear anymore. That's bear goo.This sentence shows the use of gấu when referring to the animal.Tatoeba #9725950 by dotheduyet1999, translation #781039 by Zifre
- Nếu bạn gặp hổ hoặc gấu, đừng cố trèo lên cây. Cả hai loài này đều trèo cây rất giỏi.If you meet a tiger or a bear, don't try to escape into a tree. Both can climb trees perfectly well.This sentence provides a context for encountering a gấu in the wild.Tatoeba #13909284 by leucammieuvu, translation #13909282 by frpzzd
- Tôi đã thấy gấu ở vườn quốc gia.I saw a bear in the national park.
- Tôi yêu gấu trúc vì chúng thật đáng yêu.I love pandas because they are adorable.
Example conversation
Lan and Hung are looking at a picture book in a zoo.
- LanCon gấu này trông thật to lớn.This bear looks really large.
- HùngĐúng vậy, nó là một con gấu đen.That's right, it is a black bear.
- LanHùng ơi, nhìn con gấu kia kìa!Hung, look at that bear over there!
- HùngNó đang ăn mật ong đấy.It is eating honey.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries gấu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gấu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
