uống
[ʔuəŋ˧˦]
To drink in Vietnamese is uống.
The verb uống is used to express the act of consuming liquid through the mouth. This includes any liquid such as nước (water), trà (tea), cà phê (coffee), bia (beer) or nước ngọt (soda). While uống covers all types of liquids, the word rượu is used specifically to refer to alcoholic beverages or alcohol in general.
Meaning: consume liquid through the mouth (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of drinking happened in the past, place the particle đã before uống to form đã uống (drank or has drunk).
Did you know?
- The word uống is used for liquids, but for medicine in the form of a pill or capsule, Vietnamese speakers still use uống thuốc as if they were drinking a liquid.
- In many Vietnamese social settings, it is common to use the phrase 1, 2, 3, dô! to encourage everyone to drink together. This functions much like a rhythmic toast in English.
- In Vietnamese culture, saying 'I drink' using only uống can sometimes sound purely functional, whereas adding lai rai suggests a long, social session of drinking and snacking with friends.
Examples in context
- Uống gì đó đi.Drink something.This sentence is useful for suggesting that someone drink something using uống.Tatoeba #13682623 by leucammieuvu, translation #4707795 by AlanF_US
- Cậu đã uống gì?What did you drink?This sentence is useful for asking what someone has drunk using uống.Tatoeba #5160022 by truongap, translation #619660 by ulyssemc1
- Uống cái này đi.Drink this.This sentence is useful for telling someone to drink this using uống.Tatoeba #13333861 by leucammieuvu, translation #7422789 by CK
- Tôi muốn uống nướcI want to drink water
- Anh ấy thường uống trà vào buổi sángHe usually drinks tea in the morning
- Bạn muốn uống gì?What do you want to drink?
- Mình đi mua bánh mì và uống nước ngọtI'm going to buy a sandwich and drink soda
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Lan are at a cafe.
- HùngLan muốn uống gì không?Do you want to drink something, Lan?
- LanTôi muốn uống nước cam.I want to drink orange juice.
- HùngTôi cũng sẽ uống nước cam.I will drink orange juice too.
- LanVậy chúng ta gọi hai ly nhé.Then let's order two glasses.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drink” translations and entries uống, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
