ngày
[ŋaj˨˩]
The English word 'day' is translated into Vietnamese as ngày. Wiktionary also lists hôm and bữa.
Meaning: period of 24 hours (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| ngày | [ŋaj˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋaj˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| hôm | [hom˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [hom˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| bữa | [ʔɓɨə˦ˀ˥] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓɨə˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
The primary term for a 24-hour period is ngày. This is used in standard phrases such as mỗi ngày, which means 'every day' or 'each day'. Additionally, when referring to tomorrow, Vietnamese speakers use the phrase ngày mai, which literally means 'tomorrow day'.
Which one should you use?
The word bữa can refer to a meal, but in certain colloquial contexts, it can also be used to refer to a day or a specific occasion, often implying a single event or a 'round' of something.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express a duration of multiple days, place the word ngày after a number, for example, ba ngày for 'three days'.
Did you know?
- The word bữa means 'meal' and 'day', reflecting a cultural logic where a day is defined by the meals eaten during it.
- The word ngày is a distant relative of the Khmer word ថ្ងៃ (thngay) and the Mon word for 'sun'.
Examples in context
- Một ngày tồi tệ.A terrible day.This sentence shows how to describe a bad day using ngày.Tatoeba #4607718 by khoaharp, translation #32531 by Anyone
- Hôm đó trời mưa.It rained that day.This sentence demonstrates how to use hôm to refer to a specific day in the past.Tatoeba #13376861 by leucammieuvu, translation #5010237 by CK
- Trời mưa cả ngày.It rained all day.This sentence uses ngày to describe an event lasting the entire day.Tatoeba #13726719 by leucammieuvu, translation #2617238 by Prophete
- Ngày maiTomorrow
- Đi chơi ngày hôm nay không?Wanna hang out today?
- Thế đã 2 hôm rồi không gặp nhau.It's been two days without seeing each other.
- 187 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are discussing their upcoming holiday trip.
- MinhChúng ta sẽ đi trong ba ngày.We will go for three days.
- LanMột ngày là quá ngắn.One day is too short.
- MinhTôi sẽ đặt thêm một ngày nữa.I will book one more day.
- LanVậy thì tốt quá.That would be great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “day” translations and entries ngày, hôm, bữa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bữa, hôm, ngày, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
