anh họ
[ʔajŋ̟˧˧ hɔ˧˨ʔ]word by word
In Vietnamese, the English word 'cousin' is expressed through several terms depending on the cousin's gender and age relative to you. anh họ. Wiktionary also lists chị họ and em họ.
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| anh họ | [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ hɔ˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| chị họ | [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ hɔ˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| em họ | [ʔɛm˧˧ hɔ˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
Vietnamese does not have a single gender-neutral word for cousin. Instead, you must specify whether the cousin is older or younger than you and whether they are male or female.
Which one should you use?
The terms you choose depend on two factors: the cousin's gender and their age compared to yours. Use anh họ for an older male cousin and chị họ for an older female cousin. Use em họ for a cousin who is younger than you, regardless of their gender.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing or referring to a cousin, Vietnamese requires you to specify both the cousin's gender and their relative age (whether they are older or younger than you) rather than using a single term.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Anh họ của tôi là bác sĩ.My older male cousin is a doctor.
- Tôi đi chơi với anh họ.I am going out with my older male cousin.
- Anh họ cậu tên là gì?What is your older male cousin's name?
Example conversation
Chi is showing a photo to Nam.
- ChiNam nhìn xem, đây là anh họ tôi.Nam look, this is my cousin.
- NamAnh ấy trông rất giống bạn.He looks a lot like you.
- ChiVâng, anh họ tôi sống ở Hà Nội.Yes, my cousin lives in Hanoi.
- NamVậy thì tuyệt quá.That is wonderful then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (anh, họ, chị, em) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anh, chị, em, họ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
