đất nước
[ʔɗət̚˧˦ nɨək̚˧˦]
In Vietnamese, the English word "country" can be translated as đất nước or quốc gia.
Meaning: nation state (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| đất nước | [ʔɗət̚˧˦ nɨək̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɗək̚˦˧˥ nɨək̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| quốc gia | [kuək̚˧˦ zaː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kuək̚˦˧˥ jaː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
Both terms refer to a nation state. Quốc gia is the preferred term when referring to a country as a political entity or a sovereign state.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase đất nước is composed of đất (land/earth) and nước (water/country/nation).
Which one should you use?
Quốc gia is a formal term often used in political, academic or official contexts to mean nation or state. In contrast, đất nước is more common in everyday speech and emotional contexts.
Did you know?
- The term đất nước shares a conceptual logic with the Classical Nahuatl word for 'city', āltepētl, which literally translates to 'water and hill'.
Examples in context
- Tôi yêu đất nước này.I love this country.This sentence shows how to express affection for a specific country using đất nước.Tatoeba #13480516 by leucammieuvu, translation #13478138 by rul
- Đức là một quốc gia lớn.Germany is a big country.This sentence uses quốc gia to describe Germany as a large country.Tatoeba #9793943 by dotheduyet1999, translation #8134988 by AlanF_US
- Bạn sống ở đất nước nào?What country do you live in?This sentence uses đất nước to ask which country someone lives in.Tatoeba #13840939 by leucammieuvu, translation #13838769 by ecorralest101
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Hung are talking about their upcoming travel plans.
- ChiBạn muốn đi thăm đất nước nào?Which country do you want to visit?
- HùngTôi muốn đến Nhật Bản.I want to go to Japan.
- ChiĐất nước đó rất đẹp.That country is very beautiful.
- HùngĐúng vậy, tôi rất thích nó.That's right, I like it very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “country” translations and entries đất nước, quốc gia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gia, nước, quốc gia, đất, đất nước, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
