cà phê
[kaː˨˩ fe˧˧]
The English word coffee is cà phê in Vietnamese.
cà phê refers to the beverage. You can modify this term to specify the type of coffee you want. For example, cà phê đen means black coffee, while cà phê sữa refers to coffee with milk. In Vietnam, cà phê sữa specifically implies coffee made with sweetened condensed milk. Other variations include Cà phê sữa đá for iced coffee with milk, Cà phê nâu đá for brown iced coffee and Cà phê trứng for egg coffee. Additionally, the phrase đi cà phê is a common colloquial way to say one is going to go out for coffee or hanging out at a coffee shop.
Meaning: beverage (noun)
Related words
When do people say it?
Cà phê trứng is a specialty drink that is unique to Hanoi.
Did you know?
- The first syllable of cà phê might be linked to the word for 'eggplant', cà, as some early linguists theorized the name was constructed using existing fruit names.
Examples in context
- Tôi bán cà phê.I sell coffee.This sentence shows the use of cà phê in a sentence about selling it.Tatoeba #13598598 by leucammieuvu, translation #5840355 by CK
- Tom bán cà phê.Tom sells coffee.Tatoeba #13598641 by leucammieuvu, translation #5147311 by CK
- Tôi ngửi cà phê.I smell coffee.This sentence shows the use of cà phê in a sentence about smelling it.Tatoeba #13634518 by leucammieuvu, translation #4080710 by CK
- Xin vui lòng mang đến cho tôi một ly cà phê.Please bring me a cup of coffee.
- Anh/chị có thể đổi cà phê sữa đá thành đen không?Can you change my iced coffee to black?
- 67 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Hương are sitting in a cafe.
- HùngEm muốn uống cà phê không?Do you want to drink coffee?
- HươngDạ, cho em một ly cà phê sữa.Yes, please give me a coffee with condensed milk.
- HùngCà phê ở đây rất ngon.The coffee here is very delicious.
- HươngĐúng vậy, anh Hùng ạ.That's right, Hùng.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coffee” translations and entries cà phê, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cà, cà phê, phê, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
