chúc ngủ ngon
[t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦ ŋu˧˩ ŋɔn˧˧]
To say good night in Vietnamese, use chúc ngủ ngon. If unsure, use chúc ngủ ngon. Wiktionary also lists ngủ ngon.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| chúc ngủ ngon | [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦ ŋu˧˩ ŋɔn˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥ ŋʊw˧˨ ŋɔŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| ngủ ngon | [ŋu˧˩ ŋɔn˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋʊw˧˨ ŋɔŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
chúc ngủ ngon is the usual way to wish someone good night. To be polite, Vietnamese speakers put a kinship term or pronoun for the person inside the phrase rather than saying it bare.
What does it mean word for word?
chúc means to wish, ngủ means sleep and ngon means good, so the phrase literally means wish sleep good.
Which one should you use?
ngủ ngon is a shorter, more direct way to say sleep well. Adding nhé to the end, as in ngủ ngon nhé, makes it softer and more affectionate.
How does it change in a sentence?
Place the word for the person between chúc and ngủ ngon, for example a word for mom, dad or child.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not just say chúc ngủ ngon to a person on its own. Include the pronoun or kinship term that fits them.
Did you know?
- The word ngon in chúc ngủ ngon is most commonly used to describe food that tastes delicious. Using it here creates a metaphor where you are wishing someone a 'delicious' or 'tasty' quality of sleep.
- While an English speaker might say 'good night' as a greeting when arriving somewhere late, you should never use chúc ngủ ngon in that context. In Vietnamese, it is strictly a farewell used only when someone is actually going to bed.
- The word chúc in the phrase 'wish sleep good' is actually a Sino-Vietnamese loanword from the Chinese character 祝, which traditionally implies a prayer or a formal blessing.
Examples in context
- Ngủ ngon. Chúc bạn nhiều giấc mơ đẹp.Good night. Sweet dreams.Ngủ ngon is the short form, followed by a wish for sweet dreams.Tatoeba #5938 by khoaharp, translation #2194 by laurafults
- Chúc mẹ ngủ ngon đi con.Say good night to your mother.Here mẹ, mother, sits between Chúc and ngủ ngon.
- chúc (anh/chị/em/bố/mẹ/con/bé/cả nhà) ngủ ngonGood night(, my big bro/big sis/little sibling/dad/mom/child/baby/family)This pattern shows the different words for family members that can go inside the phrase.
- Chúc ngủ ngon! Hẹn gặp lại vào buổi sáng.Good night! See you in the morning.
Example conversation
Lan and Hùng are ending a phone call late at night.
- LanMuộn rồi, em đi ngủ đây.It's late, I'm going to sleep now.
- HùngỪ, chúc ngủ ngon nhé Lan.Yeah, good night, Lan.
- LanEm cảm ơn, anh cũng chúc ngủ ngon.Thank you, good night to you too.
- HùngChào em, ngủ ngon nhé.Bye, sleep well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries chúc ngủ ngon, ngủ ngon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chúc, chúc ngủ ngon, ngon, ngủ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
