ong
[ʔawŋ͡m˧˧]
In Vietnamese, the word for bee is ong.
The term ong refers to the insect. For example, ong mật specifically refers to a honey bee.
Meaning: insect (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a bee as a living creature, it is typical to use the classifier con before ong, forming the phrase con ong.
Did you know?
- A common Vietnamese folk belief associates the arrival of ong in a house with good luck or a coming visitor.
- The word ong appears in traditional Vietnamese poetry to symbolize the pursuit of love, often paired with a flower to represent a couple.
- While ong means 'bee' today, its oldest ancestors in the Austroasiatic language family originally used the word to describe a 'wasp' or 'hornet'.
Examples in context
- Con ong đã bay vào hoa, rồi hút mật.The bee flew to the flower and drank the nectar.This sentence shows ong being used in the context of a bee flying to a flower to drink nectar.Tatoeba #9034841 by dotheduyet1999, translation #1780308 by Bah_Dure
- Mày lúc nào cũng chăm chỉ như con ong.You are always as busy as a bee.This sentence uses ong in a simile to describe someone being as busy as a bee.Tatoeba #1550436 by trieuho, translation #16760 by CC
- Bạn lúc nào cũng chăm chỉ như một con ong.You're always as busy as a bee.This sentence provides another way to use ong within a simile for industriousness.Tatoeba #1550438 by trieuho, translation #9729410 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are walking in a garden.
- MaiCó một con ong trên cánh hoa kìa.There is a bee on that flower petal.
- HùngCẩn thận, con ong đó có vẻ hung dữ.Be careful, that bee looks aggressive.
- MaiĐừng lo, nó chỉ đang lấy mật thôi.Don't worry, it is just gathering nectar.
- HùngHy vọng nó sẽ không bay về phía mình.I hope it won't fly towards us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bee” translations and entries ong, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ong, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
