Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| đàn ghi-ta | [ʔɗaːn˨˩ ɣi˧˧ taː˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) | |
| ghi-ta | [ɣi˧˧ taː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ɣɪj˧˧ taː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| lục huyền cầm | [lʊwk͡p̚˧˨ʔ hwiən˨˩ kəm˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [lʊwk͡p̚˨˩ʔ hwiəŋ˦˩ kəm˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| tây ban cầm | [təj˧˧ ʔɓaːn˧˧ kəm˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [təj˧˧ ʔɓaːŋ˧˧ kəm˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
dated |
The word is used to refer to the musical instrument. When describing the act of playing the guitar, the verb đánh is commonly used with ghi-ta to mean "to play" or "to strike".
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase đàn ghi-ta, đàn refers to a musical instrument or a stringed instrument, while ghi-ta is a loanword from the English "guitar".
Which one should you use?
While ghi-ta can be used alone, đàn ghi-ta is the more complete noun phrase used to refer to the instrument itself.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For highly formal or literary contexts, you may encounter lục huyền cầm, which literally means "six-stringed instrument". The term tây ban cầm is a dated and more formal way to refer to the guitar, often found in older texts or literature. Additionally, đàn guitar is used as a formal term for guitar, while đàn guitar điện refers to the electric guitar and đàn guitar cổ điển refers to the classical guitar.
Did you know?
- Although ghi-ta looks like the English word, its phonetic journey into Vietnamese actually traveled through the French word guitare.
- The word đàn is an example of a homonym in Vietnamese, as it can refer to a stringed instrument, a ritual altar, or the act of playing music.
- The term tây ban cầm is a historical relic that literally identifies the instrument as being from 'Spain', referencing its cultural origin.
Examples in context
- Anh ta biết đánh ghi-ta.He is able to play the guitar.This sentence is useful for learning how to use the verb đánh with ghi-ta.Tatoeba #8970727 by dotheduyet1999, translation #289619 by CK
- Tom phụ họa với Mary bằng đàn ghi-ta.Tom accompanied Mary on the guitar.This sentence shows how to use the complete noun phrase đàn ghi-ta to describe accompaniment.Tatoeba #3470055 by tucm, translation #1030007 by CK
- Một cô gái đang vừa đánh đàn Tây Ban cầm vừa hát ở trước đài phun nước.A young woman was playing a guitar while singing along in front of the fountain.This sentence illustrates the use of the older term tây ban cầm in a descriptive context.Tatoeba #13485408 by leucammieuvu, translation #3064590 by Tappity
- Tôi đang học chơi đàn guitar cổ điển.I am learning to play the classical guitar.
- Có ai ở đây chơi đàn guitar bass không?Is anyone here playing bass guitar?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nam and Chi are talking about hobbies at home.
- NamChi có muốn học đánh đàn ghi-ta không?Do you want to learn to play the guitar, Chi?
- ChiCó, em rất thích tiếng đàn ghi-ta.Yes, I really like the sound of the guitar.
- NamAnh có một cây đàn ghi-ta cũ cho em.I have an old guitar for you.
- ChiÔi, cảm ơn anh Nam nhiều nhé!Oh, thank you so much, Nam!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guitar” translations and entries ghi-ta, lục huyền cầm, tây ban cầm, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (đàn, ghi-ta) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ghi-ta, huyền, lục, lục huyền cầm, đàn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
