lừa
[lɨə˨˩]
The Vietnamese word for donkey is lừa.
lừa refers to the domestic animal known as a donkey.
Meaning: a domestic animal (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a donkey as a living creature, you typically place the classifier con before lừa to form con lừa (the donkey).
Did you know?
- The word lừa is a homonym that can also mean 'to deceive' or 'to cheat' depending on the context.
- In Vietnamese, the word lừa can also mean 'to filter' or 'to strain', a completely different concept from the animal or the act of cheating.
- Because lừa can mean 'to cheat', calling someone a 'con lừa' might imply they are a 'deceptive person' rather than just a donkey.
Examples in context
- Con lừa đang kêu be be.The donkey is braying.This sentence is useful for hearing how to describe the sound a lừa makes.Tatoeba #8969911 by dotheduyet1999, translation #1665669 by Amastan
- Cái con lừa đó trông thật đáng yêu!That donkey looks so adorable!
- Con lừa đang ăn cỏ.The donkey is eating grass.
- Tôi thấy một con lừa ở đó.I saw a donkey over there.
Example conversation
Chi and Hung are walking through a small farm.
- ChiHùng nhìn kìa, một con lừa!Hung, look, a donkey!
- HùngNó trông rất đáng yêu, Chi ạ.It looks very cute, Chi.
- ChiCon lừa đó đang ngủ.That donkey is sleeping.
- HùngĐúng vậy, nó thật bình yên.That's right, it is so peaceful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “donkey” translations and entries lừa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lừa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
