hươu
[hiəw˧˧]
The Vietnamese word for deer is hươu or nai.
Meaning: animal of the family Cervidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| hươu | [hiəw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [hɨəw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| nai | [naːj˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [naːj˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
Both words refer to animals of the family Cervidae.
Which one should you use?
While both are used for deer, nai is frequently used to refer to smaller species and is the more common term found in general descriptions of forest deer or in folk tales.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting or referring to a specific deer, you must use the classifier con before the noun, such as in con hươu or con nai.
Did you know?
- The word hươu is commonly used in the term for a giraffe, hươu cao cổ, which literally translates to 'high-necked deer'.
- The phrase nai tơ is used idiomatically to describe someone who is extremely naive or inexperienced in life.
- In Vietnamese culture, the hươu is often paired with the tùng (pine tree) as a symbol of longevity and prosperity.
Examples in context
- Con nai thoát khỏi kẻ săn mồi bằng cách chạy đi.Deer escape predators by running away.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe the movement of a nai.Tatoeba #13675747 by leucammieuvu, translation #13674611 by Adelpa
- Tôi thấy một con nai trong khu rừng quốc gia.I saw a deer in the national park.
- Hôm qua tôi nhìn thấy nai trong khu rừng.Yesterday, I saw a deer in the forest.
- Chị ấy đã thấy hươu trong vườn chim.She saw a deer in the bird garden.
- con hươu cao cổGiraffe
- Con hươu đang ăn cỏ.The deer is eating grass.
- Tôi thấy một con hươu trong rừng.I saw a deer in the forest.
Example conversation
Minh and Hương are looking at a picture book in a park.
- MinhHương ơi, nhìn con hươu này xem!Huong, look at this deer!
- HươngNó trông thật đẹp, Minh ạ.It looks really beautiful, Minh.
- MinhCon hươu có bộ lông rất lạ.The deer has very strange fur.
- HươngĐúng vậy, nó thật lộng lẫy.That's right, it is magnificent.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “deer” translations and entries hươu, nai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
