nhà
[ɲaː˨˩]
The English word 'house' is translated into Vietnamese as nhà. If unsure, use nhà. Wiktionary also lists nhà ở.
Meaning: human abode (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| nhà | [ɲaː˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ɲaː˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| nhà ở | [ɲaː˨˩ ʔəː˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ɲaː˦˩ ʔəː˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
The term nhà is the most common and widely used word for a house. Beyond describing a physical building, it can also refer to the family unit or the household of people living together. For example, nhà nhỏ means 'small house'.
Which one should you use?
While nhà is the general term for a house, nhà ở is used to specifically refer to a place of residence or a dwelling, distinguishing it from other types of buildings like shops or offices.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are counting houses or specifying a particular house, it is common to use the classifier căn before nhà to form căn nhà.
Did you know?
- The use of nhà as a prefix for people like 'scientists' is a semantic loan from the Chinese character 家, which also means 'home' and 'expert'.
- While nhà usually means a building, in a family context it can function as a pronoun to refer to one's own family members when speaking to others.
- In traditional Vietnamese culture, the layout of the nhà is often determined by feng shui to ensure the flow of energy and prosperity.
Examples in context
- Tom đã bán nhà.Tom sold his house.This sentence demonstrates the use of nhà in the context of selling a property.Tatoeba #13666270 by leucammieuvu, translation #4102488 by CK
- Nhà tôi bẩn lắm.My house is dirty.This sentence shows how to describe the state of one's nhà.Tatoeba #9741763 by dotheduyet1999, translation #2632518 by CK
- Căn nhà đẹp quá.The house is so beautiful.This sentence illustrates how to use nhà when describing a beautiful house.Tatoeba #11326743 by chaule3, translation #11326739 by chaule3
- Tôi sống trong một căn nhà đẹp.I live in a beautiful house.
- Họ xây dựng một ngôi nhà nhỏ ở nông thôn.They built a small house in the countryside.
- Anh ta đã mua một căn nhà ở thành phố mới.He bought a house in the new city.
- Tôi sống trong một cư xá ở Hà Nội.I live in a housing complex in Hanoi.
- Căn biệt thự của anh ta ở quận 7 rất đẹp.His mansion in District 7 is very beautiful.
- 169 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about moving to a new place.
- TuấnLan ơi, nhà của bạn rộng không?Lan, is your house spacious?
- LanNhà của mình vừa phải thôi, Tuấn ạ.My house is just medium-sized, Tuan.
- TuấnBạn có muốn chuyển đến nhà mới không?Do you want to move to a new house?
- LanCó, mình đang tìm một căn nhà khác.Yes, I am looking for another house.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “house” translations and entries nhà, nhà ở, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nhà, nhà ở, ở, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
