ngũ cốc
[ŋu˦ˀ˥ kəwk͡p̚˧˦]
The English phrase cereal is translated into Vietnamese as ngũ cốc.
The term refers to grains of such a grass. To specify the breakfast-type cereal common in Western diets, Vietnamese speakers often add ăn sáng (to eat breakfast) after ngũ cốc to form ngũ cốc ăn sáng.
Meaning: grains of such a grass (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term ngũ cốc is composed of ngũ (five) and cốc (grain/cereal), literally meaning 'five grains'.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the word cốc is a homonym that also means 'glass' or 'tumbler' when referring to drinking vessels.
- The word cốc is a cognate with words meaning 'egret' in other regional languages like Khmer, suggesting a very deep, ancient linguistic connection.
- The word ngũ in ngũ cốc is a Sino-Vietnamese reading, meaning the term is a beautiful example of how classical Chinese vocabulary is preserved in Vietnamese.
Examples in context
- Tôi thích ăn ngũ cốc với sữa.I like to eat cereal with milk.Tatoeba #11318233 by chaule3, translation #11318231 by chaule3
- Ít ra thì ngũ cốc có thời hạn sử dụng lâu.At least cereal has a long shelf life.Tatoeba #11266521 by chaule3, translation #10240322 by LimeGreenTeknii
- ngũ cốc ăn sángBreakfast cereal
- Tôi muốn ngũ cốcI want cereal
- Bạn có bán ngũ cốc không?Do you sell cereal?
- Cho tôi một bát ngũ cốcGive me a bowl of cereal
- xin lỗi, tại sao không có ngũ cốc?Excuse me, why don't you have cereal?
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are shopping for breakfast food at the supermarket.
- MinhLan ơi, mình nên mua loại ngũ cốc nào?Lan, which type of cereal should we buy?
- LanEm thích loại ngũ cốc nguyên hạt này.I like this whole grain cereal.
- MinhLoại này có nhiều đường quá không?Does this one have too much sugar?
- LanKhông, đây là ngũ cốc ít đường đó anh.No, this is low-sugar cereal.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ngũ cốc, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cốc, ngũ, ngũ cốc, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
