Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| giúp | [zup̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jup̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| giúp đỡ | [zup̚˧˦ ʔɗəː˦ˀ˥] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jup̚˦˧˥ ʔɗəː˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
The verb giúp is used to provide assistance to someone or something. As a transitive verb, it typically requires an object (the person being helped) to sound natural in most sentences.
Which one should you use?
While giúp is the standard verb for help, giúp đỡ is a compound that sounds more formal or complete and is often used in written or more serious contexts. For professional, technical or administrative contexts, such as technical assistance or emergency aid, the term trợ giúp is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb giúp can be followed directly by an object and another verb to mean 'to help someone do something'. For example, giúp tôi học means 'help me study'.
When do people say it?
When receiving help, a common response is Cảm ơn bạn, which means 'Thank you'.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the word giúp is often used at the end of a request to soften the tone, making it function more like 'please' than a literal request for assistance.
- The concept of 'helping' is closely tied to the cultural value of tình nghĩa, which describes the deep emotional bond and mutual obligation to assist family and friends.
- While giúp means 'help', the word đỡ on its own can specifically describe the physical act of supporting someone's weight to keep them from falling.
Examples in context
- Tôi sẽ giúp bạn.I will help you.This sentence shows how to express the future intent to help someone using giúp.Tatoeba #13173395 by leucammieuvu, translation #880650 by CC
- Tôi giúp anh ấy.I help him.This sentence demonstrates the standard way to say 'I help him' using giúp.Tatoeba #13726674 by leucammieuvu, translation #260935 by CK
- Bạn có giúp không?Did you help?This sentence is an example of asking if someone will help using giúp.Tatoeba #13634537 by leucammieuvu, translation #3824036 by CK
- Xin lỗi, bạn có thể giúp đỡ tôi được không?Excuse me, could you please help me?
- Tôi cần sự giúp đỡ của bạn với tài liệu này.I need your help with this document.
- 160 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about housework.
- MaiTuấn ơi, giúp em việc này với.Tuan, please help me with this task.
- TuấnEm muốn anh giúp gì nào?What do you want me to help with?
- MaiAnh giúp em dọn bàn nhé.Can you help me clear the table?
- TuấnĐược chứ, để anh giúp em.Sure, let me help you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “help” translations and entries giúp, giúp đỡ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
