hỏng
[hawŋ͡m˧˩]
The English word "broken" is translated into Vietnamese as hỏng.
hỏng is used to describe a machine or object that is not working properly. It can also be used to describe food that has gone bad or is spoiled.
Meaning: not working properly (adj)
Which one should you use?
While hỏng describes a machine or object that is malfunctioning, it is not used to describe a person's physical injury. For that, you would use bị thương.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, hỏng is preceded by the particle bị to indicate a state of being broken or a negative change in condition (forming bị hỏng). Additionally, adding rồi after hỏng is a very common way to express that something has recently broken or is currently in a broken state.
Did you know?
- A 'broken' promise in Vietnamese is described using thất hứa, which literally means 'missing' or 'losing' a promise rather than 'breaking' it.
- The word hỏng is also used metaphorically in Vietnamese to describe a person who has 'ruined' their reputation or moral character. If someone says a person is hỏng, they mean that person is morally corrupted or a bad influence.
- While hỏng describes a broken machine, the word gãy is used specifically for things that snap, such as a 'broken' bone or a 'broken' pencil.
Examples in context
- Ổ khoá hỏng rồi.The lock's broken.This sentence is useful for saying that a lock is broken using hỏng.Tatoeba #13666074 by leucammieuvu, translation #10142070 by ddnktr
- Máy rửa bát lại hỏng nữa rồi!The dishwasher has broken again!This sentence is useful for expressing that a dishwasher has broken again using hỏng.Tatoeba #13931237 by leucammieuvu, translation #13929545 by Ioan_Cristian
- Con búp bê bị hỏng đó là của tôi.The broken doll is mine.This sentence is useful for describing a broken doll using hỏng.Tatoeba #9024433 by dotheduyet1999, translation #49031 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Hùng are in the kitchen.
- HươngHùng ơi, cái lò vi sóng bị hỏng rồi.Hùng, the microwave is broken.
- HùngĐể anh xem thử xem sao.Let me take a look and see.
- HươngNó hỏng từ sáng nay rồi.It has been broken since this morning.
- HùngVậy để anh gọi thợ sửa.Then I will call a repairman.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “broken” translations and entries hỏng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
