Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| anh ấy | [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ ʔəj˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʔəj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| ông ấy | [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔəj˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔəj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| nó | [nɔ˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [nɔ˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| hắn | [han˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [haŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
informal, pejorative |
| ổng | [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔəwŋ͡m˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
South |
| ảnh | [ʔajŋ̟˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛɲ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
South |
In Vietnamese, the choice of 'he' depends heavily on the age and social status of the person being discussed relative to the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ông ấy is composed of ông (grandfather/old man) and ấy (that).
Which one should you use?
Use anh ấy for a man who is relatively young or of a similar age to the speaker, whereas ông ấy is used for an older man. While nó can mean "it", when referring to a person, it is used for children, animals or people of much lower social status than the speaker.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Nó is a less formal way to say "he" in Vietnamese that is commonly used among friends or when talking about animals. Hắn is used to refer to a male in a disrespectful, derogatory or suspicious manner. Other formal ways to say 'he' in Vietnamese include Ông or Ngài, which is a polite and formal term used to address someone with great respect.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Vietnamese dialects, ổng is a common colloquial way to say ông ấy and ảnh is a common colloquial way to say anh ấy.
Did you know?
- The derogatory term hắn shares a common ancestor with the word an used for 'he' or 'she' in the Car Nicobarese language.
Examples in context
- Anh ấy gõ cửa.He knocked at the door.This sentence shows the use of anh ấy for a subject performing an action.Tatoeba #10266658 by Alex_do, translation #291912 by CK
- Anh ấy sợ đũa.He is afraid of chopsticks.This sentence shows the use of anh ấy to describe a feeling.Tatoeba #13381864 by leucammieuvu, translation #1972680 by nonong
- Anh ấy bán nó.He sells it.This sentence shows the use of anh ấy in a commercial context.Tatoeba #13534970 by leucammieuvu, translation #13534744 by jan_Lupelo
- Tôi đã gặp anh ấy ở công ty hôm qua.I met him at the company yesterday.
- Ông ấy là giám đốc của công ty.He is the director of the company.
- Anh ấy đi làm vào lúc mấy giờ?What time does he go to work?
- 1109 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Tuấn are talking about a new colleague.
- TuấnAnh ấy là người mới à?Is he the new person?
- ChiĐúng vậy, anh ấy rất giỏi.Yes, he is very talented.
- TuấnAnh ấy tên là gì?What is his name?
- ChiAnh ấy tên là Nam.His name is Nam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “he” translations and entries anh ấy, ông ấy, nó, hắn, ổng, ảnh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anh, anh ấy, hắn, nó, ông, ông ấy, ấy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
