giờ
[zəː˨˩]
The Vietnamese word for 'hour' is giờ. Wiktionary also lists tiếng.
Meaning: time period of sixty minutes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| giờ | [zəː˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [jəː˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| tiếng | [tiəŋ˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
Which one should you use?
giờ is used to indicate the specific hour of the day, such as in '8 giờ' (8 o'clock). Use tiếng specifically to count the number of hours passed (duration) in a more colloquial way.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting elapsed time, tiếng is often used as a counter, such as 'ba tiếng' (three hours).
Did you know?
- The colloquial word for a duration of time, tiếng, literally translates to 'sound' or 'voice' in other contexts.
- If you move to Central Vietnam, you might hear the word chừ instead of the standard giờ when referring to time.
Examples in context
- Bạn đến sớm nửa tiếng.You arrived half an hour early.This sentence shows how to use tiếng to describe a duration of half an hour.Tatoeba #13474046 by leucammieuvu, translation #13473825 by CM
- Cô ta được sinh vào giờ nào?At what hour was she born?This sentence shows how to use giờ to ask about a specific point in time of birth.Tatoeba #3470062 by tucm, translation #509195 by blay_paul
- Đó là chuyến đi dài hai giờ.It's a two-hour trip.This sentence shows how to use giờ to describe the length of a trip.Tatoeba #14025616 by leucammieuvu, translation #14024916 by rul
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lan and Tuấn are meeting at a cafe.
- LanTuấn ơi, anh đến đây bao lâu rồi?Tuấn, how long have you been here?
- TuấnAnh vừa mới đến được một giờ thôi.I have only been here for one hour.
- LanVậy mà em đã để anh đợi lâu quá.And yet I've kept you waiting so long.
- TuấnKhông sao đâu, Lan đừng lo.It's okay, Lan, don't worry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hour” translations and entries giờ, tiếng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries giờ, tiếng, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
