chào chị
[t͡ɕaːw˨˩ t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ]word by word
The English phrase "hi sister" is translated into Vietnamese as chào chị.
chào chị is a greeting used for a female sibling or a woman slightly older than the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The word chị literally means older sister.
How does it change in a sentence?
In more polite or complete speech, the speaker often adds the pronoun em (meaning younger sibling/person) before chào to indicate their own position in the social hierarchy.
Did you know?
- The word chào has roots in an ancient term used to describe attending an emperor's audience.
- Vietnamese has no single neutral word for 'you' like English does. Instead, the speaker must choose a kinship term like chị based on the other person's age and gender.
- In some professional contexts, a woman might be addressed as chị even if she is younger than the speaker, provided she holds a higher rank or position.
Examples in context
- Chào chị!Hi sister!
- Em chào chị ạ.Hello, sister (polite).
Example conversation
Nam sees his older neighbor Lan in the hallway.
- NamEm chào chị Lan.Hello, sister Lan.
- LanChào em, Nam.Hi Nam.
- NamChị đi đâu đấy?Where are you going, sister?
- LanChị đi chợ thôi.I'm just going to the market.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (chào, chị) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chào, chị, CC BY-SA 4.0.
