Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| dễ thương | [ze˦ˀ˥ tʰɨəŋ˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jej˧˨ tʰɨəŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| đáng yêu | [ʔɗaːŋ˧˦ ʔiəw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɗaːŋ˦˧˥ ʔiw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
In Vietnamese, 'cute' describes something that is attractive or pleasing in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way. You can use dễ thương to describe people, animals or even specific actions and behaviors. If you want to emphasize cuteness through sweetness, charm or endearment, you can use ngọt ngào. For a sense of cuteness that is mischievous or teasing, use đáng ghét.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase dễ thương literally translates to 'easy to love', while đáng yêu literally means 'worthy of love'.
Which one should you use?
While both words express cuteness, dễ thương is a general term used for a wide variety of subjects including people, animals and behaviors. In contrast, đáng yêu often carries a slightly stronger connotation of being 'adorable' or 'lovable'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say something is 'very cute', place the adverb rất before the adjective, such as in rất dễ thương. You can also intensify the expression by adding lắm after the phrase, resulting in dễ thương lắm.
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, the word thương in dễ thương can be related to different Chinese roots meaning 'wound', 'injury' or 'merchant'.
Examples in context
- Cô ấy dễ thương.She is cute.This sentence shows how to use dễ thương to describe a person.Tatoeba #13339807 by leucammieuvu, translation #12079445 by Amastan
- Trẻ con dễ thương.Babies are cute.This sentence shows how to use dễ thương to describe babies.Tatoeba #13340137 by leucammieuvu, translation #9737746 by shekitten
- Mèo con dễ thương.Kittens are cute.This sentence shows how to use dễ thương to describe kittens.Tatoeba #13340138 by leucammieuvu, translation #9737299 by shekitten
- Em bé này rất dễ thương.This baby is very cute.
- Cô bạn mới của tôi thật xinh xắn.My new friend is really cute.
- Bộ phim này thật ngọt ngào.This movie is really cute/sweet.
- Cô giáo của tôi dễ thương quá.My teacher is very cute.
- Bé gái này thật đáng yêu.This little girl is really cute/adorable.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Tuấn are looking at a photo of a puppy.
- HươngNhìn chú chó này dễ thương chưa kìa!Look how cute this puppy is!
- TuấnỪ, nó dễ thương thật đấy.Yeah, it really is cute.
- HươngTuấn muốn mua một con không?Tuấn, do you want to buy one?
- TuấnChắc là không đâu, Hương ơi.Probably not, Hương.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cute” translations and entries dễ thương, đáng yêu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dễ, dễ thương, thương, yêu, đáng, đáng yêu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
