lời chào
[ləːj˨˩ t͡ɕaːw˨˩]
The English phrase "greetings" is translated into Vietnamese as lời chào.
lời chào is typically used as a noun to refer to the act or the words of greeting, rather than being used as a direct spoken greeting itself.
Meaning: formal way of saying "hello" (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase lời chào is composed of lời (word/speech) and chào (to greet/salute).
How does it change in a sentence?
To make lời chào plural, you can add the classifier những before it.
Did you know?
- The word chào has ancient roots in the Chinese word for attending an emperor's audience, specifically the character 朝.
- In certain coastal regions of Northern Vietnam, the word lời was historically associated with the spread of Christianity due to missionary activity.
Examples in context
- Xin chào bạnHello, friend
- Lời chào của ông ấy rất lịch sự.His greeting is very polite.
Example conversation
Nam and Huong are preparing for a formal meeting.
- NamChúng ta nên bắt đầu bằng lời chào.We should start with greetings.
- HươngTôi đồng ý với anh, Nam.I agree with you, Nam.
- NamHãy chuẩn bị lời chào thật trang trọng.Let's prepare very formal greetings.
- HươngTôi sẽ viết ra ngay bây giờ.I will write them down right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lời chào, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chào, lời, lời chào, CC BY-SA 4.0.
