mua
[muə˧˧]
The Vietnamese word for 'buy' is mua.
mua is a verb used to describe the act of obtaining something with money. If you want to express the desire to buy something, you can use the phrase muốn mua (want to buy). While mua refers to the act of buying a specific item, the compound mua sắm is used to describe the general activity of shopping.
Meaning: to obtain something with money (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can change the tense of mua by adding specific words before it: use đã mua for the past tense (bought), đang mua for the continuous aspect (is/are buying) and sẽ mua for the future tense (will buy).
Did you know?
- Vietnamese speakers sometimes use the word tậu to describe buying something large or expensive, like a house or a car, which was borrowed from the Tai languages.
- In traditional Vietnamese markets, 'buying' often involves a social ritual of bargaining where the first price mentioned is never intended to be the final price.
- The modern word mua actually derives from a Chinese character that meant 'to seek' rather than 'to buy'.
Examples in context
- Anh muốn mua gì?What would you like to buy?This sentence is useful for asking what someone would like to buy using mua.Tatoeba #4611353 by khoaharp, translation #2485314 by Opiejay888
- Mua đi, rẻ thôi mà.Buy it, it's very cheap.This sentence is useful for encouraging someone to buy something using mua.Tatoeba #5772389 by yippe, translation #434336 by lukaszpp
- Bạn đã mua vé chưa?Did you already buy the ticket?This sentence is useful for asking if a ticket has already been bought using mua.Tatoeba #8957758 by dotheduyet1999, translation #8957753 by sundown
- Tôi muốn mua một chiếc điện thoại mới.I want to buy a new phone.
- Chúng tôi đến đây để mua hàng cho cửa hàng của mình.We came here to buy goods for our store.
- Hôm nay tôi đi mua cái áo mới.Today, I'm going to buy a new shirt.
- 133 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Hương are at a fruit market.
- TuấnHương ơi, mình mua táo nhé?Hương, shall we buy some apples?
- HươngVâng, em muốn mua thêm cam nữa.Yes, I want to buy some oranges too.
- TuấnVậy anh sẽ mua cả hai loại.Then I will buy both types.
- HươngCảm ơn anh, Tuấn.Thank you, Tuấn.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “buy” translations and entries mua, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mua, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
