đúng
[ʔɗʊwŋ͡m˧˦]
The Vietnamese word for 'correct' is đúng.
đúng is the most common and general term used to express that something is 'correct' in Vietnamese. If you want to say something is 'wrong' or 'incorrect', you use the antonym sai.
Meaning: free from error (adj)
Which one should you use?
While đúng is the general term, chính xác is used when you want to emphasize that something is 'accurate' or 'precise'. For a sense of moral correctness, such as something being 'morally right', you can use đúng đắn.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern regions of Vietnam, the term chuẩn is often used informally to mean 'correct' or 'right'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To negate the adjective đúng and say something is 'not correct', place không before it to form không đúng. You can also turn a statement into a tag question, such as 'is it correct?' or 'right?', by adding không? to the end of the phrase, resulting in đúng không?
Did you know?
- The word đúng shares a deep ancestral connection with the Chinese character '中', which means 'middle' or 'center', suggesting that being 'correct' is linguistically tied to hitting the bullseye or the center of a target.
- In many contexts, if you want to say something is 'exactly right', you might use the word trúng instead of đúng, which carries the specific nuance of 'hitting' a mark or 'striking' a chord.
- The word đúng can function as a rhythmic particle in spoken conversation, much like how English speakers use the word 'right?' to seek confirmation.
Examples in context
- Tom có đúng không?Is Tom correct?This example shows how to use đúng to ask if someone is correct.Tatoeba #13339907 by leucammieuvu, translation #9843937 by CK
- Bản dịch này có đúng không?Is this translation correct?This example shows how to use đúng to ask if a translation is correct.Tatoeba #10222543 by dotheduyet1999, translation #1151453 by danepo
- Rõ ràng là điều đó không đúng.Apparently, that's not correct.This example shows how to use đúng to state that something is not correct.Tatoeba #4604703 by khoaharp, translation #2736042 by CK
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lan and Hung are checking a math answer in a notebook.
- LanKết quả này có đúng không Hùng?Is this result correct, Hung?
- HùngNó hoàn toàn đúng.It is completely correct.
- LanMay quá, mình cứ sợ là sai.Thank goodness, I was afraid it was wrong.
- HùngLan yên tâm đi, nó đúng rồi.Don't worry Lan, it is correct.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “correct” translations and entries đúng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries đúng, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
