Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| tách | [tajk̟̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tat̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| chén | [t͡ɕɛn˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [t͡ɕɛŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| cốc | [kəwk͡p̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kəwk͡p̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
These terms all refer to drinking vessels. Note that the word cúp is a loanword that refers specifically to a trophy or a sports cup rather than a drinking vessel.
Which one should you use?
tách typically refers to a small, delicate cup, such as a teacup or coffee cup. In contrast, cốc is used for larger, sturdier drinking vessels like water glasses or mugs. The word chén often refers to a small bowl used for soup or rice, but in certain contexts or regions, it can refer to a small drinking vessel.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The use of chén to mean a small drinking vessel can be regional or context-dependent.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using these nouns in a sentence, it is common to precede them with the classifier cái to indicate a physical object, such as cái cốc.
Did you know?
- While it means a cup, the word cốc is etymologically linked to the word for an 'egret', a type of bird, in several Mon-Khmer languages.
- While chén usually refers to a drinking vessel, in many Vietnamese households it is the primary word for the small bowl used to eat rice.
Examples in context
- Tách nào của bạn?Which cup is yours?This example is useful for asking someone to identify their specific tách.Tatoeba #1554930 by trieuho, translation #1554393 by CK
- Cái cốc ở trên kệ.The cup is on the shelf.This sentence shows how to describe the location of a cốc.Tatoeba #13980676 by leucammieuvu, translation #13971610 by rul
- Bạn uống cốc của tôi.You drank from my cup.This sentence illustrates the use of cốc when discussing drinking from a vessel.Tatoeba #9704837 by dotheduyet1999, translation #6272205 by CK
- Xin mời bà Minh một tách trà.May I offer you a cup of tea, Ms. Minh.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a living room, Chi is offering Nam a drink.
- ChiNam, bạn muốn dùng tách này không?Nam, do you want to use this cup?
- NamCảm ơn Chi, tách này đẹp quá.Thank you Chi, this cup is so beautiful.
- ChiTôi vừa mua nó đấy.I just bought it.
- NamNó rất hợp với bộ trà.It fits the tea set very well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cup” translations and entries tách, chén, cốc, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chén, cốc, tách, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
