thở
[tʰəː˧˩]
To breathe in Vietnamese is thở. Wiktionary also lists hô hấp.
Meaning: to draw air in and out (verb)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| thở | [tʰəː˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tʰəː˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
| hô hấp | [ho˧˧ həp̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [how˧˧ həp̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
The term refers to the physiological act of drawing air in and out of the body. While thở covers the general action, you can be more specific: use hít vào to mean inhale and thở ra to mean exhale. If someone is breathing heavily or panting due to physical exertion, the phrase thở dốc is used.
Which one should you use?
thở is the common, everyday word used for the act of breathing. In contrast, hô hấp is a formal or technical term used specifically in medical or biological contexts to mean respire or respiration.
Did you know?
- The phrase thở không ra hơi literally means 'breathing without breath coming out' and is used to describe someone who is completely exhausted.
- The formal term hô hấp is a Sino-Vietnamese word where hô originally meant 'to call' or 'to shout'.
- The term hô hấp is a Sino-Vietnamese compound, meaning its roots are actually shared with Chinese characters used to describe the same biological process.
Examples in context
- Thở bình thường thôi.Breathe normally.This sentence is useful for giving an instruction to breathe normally using thở.Tatoeba #13333995 by leucammieuvu, translation #2549401 by CK
- Hít thở thật sâu vào.Breathe deeply.This sentence is useful for instructing someone to breathe deeply using thở.Tatoeba #13634922 by leucammieuvu, translation #7538239 by CK
- Cô ấy không tự thở được.She can't breathe on her own.This sentence is useful for describing a person's inability to breathe on their own using thở.Tatoeba #11475659 by OneJanuary, translation #7387112 by CH
- Thở thật sâu và thư giãn.Take a deep breath and relax.
- Hãy thở từ từ và sâuTake slow and deep breaths.
- Hãy hít thở sâu vào bụngTake a deep breath into your belly.
- Bạn cần thở thoải máiYou need to breathe comfortably.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nam is helping Huong relax during a stressful moment.
- NamHương, em hãy cố gắng thở đều nhé.Huong, please try to breathe steadily.
- HươngEm đang cố gắng đây, anh Nam.I am trying, Nam.
- NamAnh thấy em thở có vẻ khó khăn.I see that your breathing seems difficult.
- HươngEm sẽ ổn thôi mà.I will be fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breathe” translations and entries thở, hô hấp, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hô, hô hấp, thở, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
