ngon
[ŋɔn˧˧]
The Vietnamese word for delicious is ngon.
ngon is used to describe something that is pleasing to taste. There are several specific ways to expand on this: Thơm ngon! is used for food that both smells wonderful and tastes delicious, while Béo ngậy! describes dishes that are rich and flavorful, such as those containing coconut milk or pork fat. If a dish has a balanced taste of sweetness and sourness, you can say Chua chua ngọt ngọt! Colloquially, you can say Ngon tuyệt! to mean "Super delicious!"
Meaning: pleasing to taste (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
In informal and enthusiastic speech, you can add the word quá after ngon to create ngon quá, which means "so delicious" or "very delicious".
Did you know?
- When someone says ngon while playing a game or competing, they aren't talking about food. They are bragging that the situation is favorable or that they have an easy victory.
- The word ngon can also be used figuratively in slang to describe a person who is very attractive or 'tasty' to look at, though this is quite objectifying and informal.
- While ngon describes taste, if you want to say a meal is truly impressive, you might use the word đã, which conveys a sense of deep satisfaction or 'relief' after eating.
Examples in context
- Cái này rất ngon.This is very delicious.This sentence is useful for saying something is very delicious using ngon.Tatoeba #513674 by autuno, translation #12047469 by CK
- Kim quất thì ngon.Kumquats is delicious.This sentence is useful for saying kumquats are delicious using ngon.Tatoeba #13339919 by leucammieuvu, translation #9793015 by CK
- quả táo đó rất ngonThat apple was really delicious.This sentence is useful for saying that an apple was really delicious using ngon.Tatoeba #9550414 by Alex_do, translation #9529020 by CK
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Lan are eating lunch at a restaurant.
- HùngMón này rất ngon.This dish is very delicious.
- LanĐúng vậy, ngon thật!That's right, it's truly delicious!
- HùngAnh thấy rất hợp khẩu vị.I find it very much to my taste.
- LanEm cũng thấy vậy.I feel the same way.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “delicious” translations and entries ngon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
