How to Say "Captain" in Vietnamese

đội trưởng

[ʔɗoj˧˨ʔ t͡ɕɨəŋ˧˩]

The Vietnamese word for captain is đội trưởng.

Đội trưởng is most commonly used in the context of sports teams or small organized groups.

Meaning: the person lawfully in command of a sea-going vessel (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The term is composed of đội (team/unit) and trưởng (head/leader), literally meaning team leader.

While đội trưởng refers to a captain of a sports team or a military unit, thuyền trưởng is the specific term for a captain of a ship or vessel.

A Vietnamese speaker might call a captain đội trưởng in a football match, but would never use the term for the captain of a flight, who is called cơ trưởng.
While đội trưởng means 'captain' in sports, the word đội also means 'to wear' a hat or 'to carry' something on the head in non-Sino-Vietnamese usage.
The character 長 (the root of trưởng) can mean both 'to grow' and 'leader', linking the idea of length or growth to the concept of being at the head of a group.

Anh ấy được chọn làm đội trưởng.
He was chosen captain.
This sentence shows how to use đội trưởng when someone is chosen for the role.
Tatoeba #9171909 by dotheduyet1999, translation #299172 by CK
Khi cả đội tiến vào, đội trưởng đi đầu.
When a team makes its entrance, the captain leads the way.
This sentence illustrates how a đội trưởng leads a team during an entrance.
Tatoeba #1547648 by trieuho, translation #1547646 by trieuho
Hãy bắt đầu hành trình của chúng ta với thuyền trưởng Linh.
Let's begin our journey with Captain Linh.

Hương and Nam are looking at a large ship in the harbor.

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