bà
[ʔɓaː˨˩]
The Vietnamese word for grandmother is bà. Wiktionary also lists bà ngoại and bà nội.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| bà | [ʔɓaː˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓaː˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| bà ngoại | [ʔɓaː˨˩ ŋwaːj˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓaː˦˩ ŋwaːj˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
| bà nội | [ʔɓaː˨˩ noj˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓaː˦˩ noj˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
bà is used to refer to the mother of one's parent. Beyond biological relations, it is also used as a respectful way to address any elderly woman, even if she is not your relative.
Which one should you use?
While bà is the general term, you can use more specific forms to clarify which side of the family the grandmother is from. Use bà ngoại to refer specifically to your maternal grandmother (mother of your mother) and bà nội to refer specifically to your paternal grandmother (mother of your father).
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a grandmother in the third person, you often add ấy to the pronoun to mean 'that grandmother' or 'she'.
Did you know?
- The phrase xuất giá, meaning 'to get married', literally translates as 'to get out' and get married. This mirrors the logic used to distinguish between the 'inside' and 'outside' grandmothers.
- The distinction between bà nội and bà ngoại relies on the concept of 'inside' and 'outside'. A mother's side is the 'outside' family because, historically, a woman was considered to belong to her original family until she married and joined another.
- Using the word bà to address an elderly woman can change the social dynamic of a conversation to be more affectionate and soft than using formal pronouns.
Examples in context
- Bà tôi bị đau lưngMy grandmother hurt her back.This sentence is useful for describing a physical ailment regarding bà.Tatoeba #10669793 by quoctrong018, translation #13724453 by an_hien
- Một ngày nọ, bà bị ốm.One day, the grandmother fell ill.This sentence is useful for stating that bà fell ill.Tatoeba #13954879 by leucammieuvu, translation #13954813 by Ioan_Cristian
- Bà tôi già nhưng khỏe mạnh.My grandmother is old but healthy.This sentence is useful for describing the health and age of bà.Tatoeba #11318211 by chaule3, translation #11318210 by chaule3
- Cụ ơi, tôi muốn nghe câu chuyện của Cụ về thời thơ ấu.Grandmother, I would love to hear your childhood stories.
- Bà Ngoại của tôi là người phụ nữ đáng yêu nhất trên thế giới.My grandmother is the most adorable woman in the world.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking in the living room.
- HươngBà đang làm gì thế?What is grandmother doing?
- HùngBà đang đọc sách.Grandmother is reading a book.
- HươngBà có khỏe không?Is grandmother healthy?
- HùngBà vẫn rất khỏe.Grandmother is still very healthy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations and entries bà, bà ngoại, bà nội, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bà, bà ngoại, bà nội, ngoại, nội, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
