vịt
[vit̚˧˨ʔ]
In Vietnamese, the word for the aquatic bird known as a duck is vịt.
vịt refers to the aquatic bird of the family Anatidae. Beyond referring to the animal itself, the word is also a common culinary term used for duck meat in various dishes.
Meaning: aquatic bird of the family Anatidae (noun)
Which one should you use?
While vịt is the noun for the bird, the related verbs dìm (xuống nước) and ngụp are used when you want to say 'to lower into the water' and cúi is used for the action 'to quickly lower the head'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a single duck as a noun, it is common to use the classifier con before vịt to form con vịt. To express the plural form, use the plural classifier những before con vịt to form những con vịt.
Did you know?
- The Vietnamese phrase vịt nghe sấm literally describes 'a duck listening to thunder' to mock someone who is completely oblivious or unable to understand a conversation.
- Some linguists suggest that vịt shares a surprising ancestral connection with the word for 'duck' in Central Nicobarese, a language spoken in the Nicobar Islands.
- In the context of street food, vịt quay refers to roasted duck, a dish that highlights the historical influence of Cantonese cooking styles on Vietnamese cuisine.
Examples in context
- Con vịt kìa!Duck!This sentence shows how to point out a duck using vịt.Tatoeba #13682579 by leucammieuvu, translation #280158 by CM
- Anh ấy thậm chí không thể nói sự khác biệt giữa một con vịt và một con hưu cao cổ.He can't even tell the difference between a duck and a giraffe.This sentence demonstrates how to use the word vịt when comparing animals.Tatoeba #10271462 by Alex_do, translation #8762113 by Amastan
- Tôi muốn một món vịt nướng.I would like a dish of roasted duck.
- Có một con vịt đang bơi dưới hồ.There is a duck swimming in the lake.
Example conversation
Mai and Nam are walking in a park.
- MaiNam ơi, nhìn con vịt kìa!Nam, look at that duck!
- NamNó đang bơi rất nhanh.It is swimming very fast.
- MaiCon vịt đó có màu trắng.That duck is white.
- NamĐúng vậy, nó rất dễ thương.That's right, it is very cute.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “duck” translations and entries vịt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vịt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
