ông
[ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧]
The Vietnamese word for grandfather is ông. Wiktionary also lists ôông.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| ông | [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| ôông | [ʔoŋ˧˥] (Vinh, narrow) |
ông is a versatile term. It can refer to your biological grandfather from either side of your family, but it is also used as a respectful title for elderly men or to address an older man, similar to 'mister' or 'sir'. You can pair ông with a person's given name, such as Ông Nam, to address them respectfully.
Which one should you use?
While ông is the general term for grandfather, you can be more specific about which side of the family you are referring to. Use ông nội to specify your paternal grandfather (father's side) and ông ngoại to specify your maternal grandfather (mother's side).
Did you know?
- Vietnamese uses ông to address supernatural entities, such as Ông Địa for the Earth God or Ông Táo for the Kitchen Gods.
- Vietnamese speakers may use ông to refer to animals that are revered or treated with respect, such as certain elephants.
- The word ông is rooted in the Chinese character 翁, which historically refers to a venerable old man rather than just a specific family relation.
Examples in context
- Ông tôi rất khó chiều.My grandfather is very hard to please.This sentence shows how to use ông when describing a person's temperament.Tatoeba #713726 by autuno, translation #251338 by Eldad
- Ông tôi năm nay tám mươi tuổi.My grandfather is eighty years old.This sentence demonstrates using ông when stating a person's age.Tatoeba #13619331 by leucammieuvu, translation #13618271 by Tigre
- Ông tôi kể cho chúng tôi nghe về những điều xưa cũ.My grandfather tells us about old things.This sentence illustrates using ông when describing a person sharing stories.Tatoeba #11418817 by chaule3, translation #273877 by CK
- Chúc ông nội có một ngày vui vẻ!Wishing you a joyful day, grandfather!
- Ông ơi, xem xong bộ phim xin ông cho cháu biết cảm nhận nhé.Grandpa, after watching the movie, please let me know your thoughts.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Lan are looking at a family photo together.
- TuấnĐây là ảnh ông của tôi.This is a photo of my grandfather.
- LanÔng trông rất hiền hậu.Your grandfather looks very kind.
- TuấnVâng, ông tôi là một giáo viên.Yes, my grandfather was a teacher.
- LanThật là tuyệt vời.That is wonderful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries ông, ôông, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ông, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
