Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| tốt hơn | [tot̚˧˦ həːn˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| khá hơn | [xaː˧˦ həːn˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| khoẻ hơn |
In Vietnamese, comparisons are often formed by adding the word hơn (which means "more" or "-er") after an adjective. While tốt hơn is the standard way to say "better" regarding general quality, other specific terms are used for different types of improvement. For example, khá hơn is used when discussing progress or improvement, such as a better score and vượt trội hơn is used to express that something is "superior." If you want to say something "might be better," you can use có thể hơn.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tốt hơn is composed of tốt, meaning "good" and hơn, meaning "more" or "-er".
Which one should you use?
You should choose your words based on what is being compared: tốt hơn refers to general quality. khá hơn is used for improvement or progress (such as a better situation or score). And khoẻ hơn is used specifically when referring to someone's physical health or feeling better after an illness.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the comparative degree in Vietnamese, place the word hơn after the adjective.
Did you know?
- If you are comparing a person's strength or vitality, you use khoẻ hơn, whereas using tốt hơn might sound like you are discussing their moral character or general quality.
- The word hơn used to form the comparative actually shares an ancient root with the concept of 'growing' or 'increasing'.
Examples in context
- Của bạn tốt hơn.Yours is better.This sentence is useful for showing possession with tốt hơn.Tatoeba #13634533 by leucammieuvu, translation #3826227 by CK
- Bạn sẽ thấy tốt hơn.You'll feel better.This sentence is useful for describing how someone feels with tốt hơn.Tatoeba #9715135 by dotheduyet1999, translation #325877 by CK
- Được rồi, tôi đã tốt hơn.Well, I've been better.This sentence is useful for expressing a past state of being with tốt hơn.Tatoeba #14029009 by nhuttan2004, translation #3726629 by CM
- Cái này tốt hơn nhiều so với cái kia.This one is much better than that one.
- Dàn nhạc sau thời gian tập luyện đã lên tầm cao mới.The band has reached a new level after a period of practice.
- Thời tiết hôm nay đỡ tệ hơn ngày hôm qua.The weather today is better than yesterday.
- Sản phẩm này khá hơn hàng rẻ tiền.This product is better than the cheap one.
- Tôi nghĩ câu này dễ hiểu hơn câu đó.I think this sentence is easier to understand than that one.
- Công nghệ này tốt hơnThis technology is better
- Em thích cái này hơnI like this one better
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Tuấn are comparing two different laptops.
- ChiChi nghĩ cái máy này tốt hơn.Chi thinks this machine is better.
- TuấnTại sao bạn lại nghĩ vậy?Why do you think so?
- ChiVì màn hình của nó tốt hơn.Because its screen is better.
- TuấnĐúng vậy, tôi cũng thấy thế.That's true, I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “better” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (tốt, hơn, khá) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hơn, khoẻ, khá, tốt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
