Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bẩn | [ʔɓən˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓəŋ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| dơ | [zəː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jəː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| bẩn thỉu | [ʔɓən˧˩ tʰiw˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓəŋ˧˨ tʰiw˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
usually |
The words in this set are used to describe things that are covered with or contain dirt. While bẩn is the standard term for physical dirt, the form bẩn thỉu is an informal expression used to describe something that is extremely dirty, often implying negligence or severe untidiness.
Which one should you use?
bẩn refers to physical dirt, whereas bẩn thỉu is often used to describe something or someone that is morally filthy or despicable. Additionally, dơ is a common alternative for the concept of being dirty.
Is it said differently in some regions?
dơ is the common way to say dirty in the Southern dialect, whereas bẩn is more standard or common in the North.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something is "very" or "too" dirty, you can add quá after bẩn to get bẩn quá.
Did you know?
- The term bẩn can be used in slang to describe someone who is 'dirty' in terms of cheating or playing unfair in games, moving beyond literal mud or dust.
- The phonetic relationship between dơ and nhơ mirrors other Vietnamese pairs like dòm and nhòm.
Examples in context
- Nhà tôi bẩn lắm.My house is dirty.This sentence is useful for describing the state of a house using bẩn.Tatoeba #9741763 by dotheduyet1999, translation #2632518 by CK
- Xe của bạn bẩn quá.Your car is really dirty.This sentence is useful for expressing that a car is very dirty using bẩn.Tatoeba #11584757 by dotheduyet1999, translation #8057306 by CK
- Toilet phòng này bẩn.This room's toilet is dirty.This sentence is useful for describing a dirty toilet using bẩn.Tatoeba #8995639 by dotheduyet1999, translation #5593011 by carlosalberto
- Bàn này bẩnThis table is dirty
- Tay của bạn đang bẩnYour hands are dirty
- Cửa sổ bị dơThe window is dirty
- Xưởng này bẩn thỉu quáThis workshop is extremely dirty
- Người ta nói anh ta bẩn thỉuThey say he is a dirty person
- Cái áo bị vấy bẩnThe shirt is stained
- Bàn tròn có nhiều vết vấy bẩnThe round table has many dirty spots
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Tuấn are looking at a shirt in the laundry basket.
- ChiChi thấy cái áo này bẩn quá.Chi thinks this shirt is too dirty.
- TuấnĐể Tuấn giặt nó cho.Let Tuấn wash it for you.
- ChiCảm ơn Tuấn nhiều nhé.Thank you very much, Tuấn.
- TuấnKhông có gì đâu Chi.It's nothing, Chi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dirty” translations and entries bẩn, dơ, bẩn thỉu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dơ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
