dê
[ze˧˧]
The English word "goat" is translated into Vietnamese as dê. Wiktionary also lists con dê.
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| dê | [ze˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jej˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| con dê |
In colloquial Vietnamese, the word dê also functions as a slang adjective to describe someone who is lewd or behaves in a perverted manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to a goat as a living animal, it is standard to use the classifier con before the noun, forming the phrase con dê to mean "the goat".
Did you know?
- Historical records from the 12th century show that the word for 'young animal' or 'child', now con, was written using the Chinese character 昆.
- While dê refers to the animal, calling a man đồ con dê is a specific insult suggesting he is a 'lecher' or 'womanizer'.
- The word dê shares a phonetic similarity with đê, which means 'embankment', showing how subtle tone or spelling changes in Vietnamese drastically shift meaning.
Examples in context
- Em có thấy con dê ở đằng kia không?Have you seen the goat over there?
- Con dê đang ăn cỏ.The goat is eating grass.
- Tôi thấy một con dê trắng.I see a white goat.
- Có một con dê ở trong vườn.There is a goat in the garden.
Example conversation
Minh and Huong are walking past a small farm.
- HươngNhìn kìa, có một con dê kìa!Look, there is a goat over there!
- MinhNó trông rất đáng yêu.It looks very cute.
- HươngMinh có muốn cho nó ăn không?Do you want to feed it, Minh?
- MinhKhông, tôi sợ nó sẽ chạy mất.No, I am afraid it will run away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goat” translations and entries dê, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries con, dê, CC BY-SA 4.0.
