Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| khoẻ không? | |
| khoẻ chứ? | |
| dạo này sao? | [zaːw˧˨ʔ naj˨˩ saːw˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| ăn cơm chưa? | [ʔan˧˧ kəːm˧˧ t͡ɕɨə˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| ăn cơm chửa? (Thanh Hóa) |
Vietnamese speakers use different phrases to ask "how are you" depending on the context. You can ask about someone's physical well-being using khoẻ không? or khoẻ chứ?, or ask about their general life situation using dạo này sao? Another way to greet someone is to ask if they have eaten, using ăn cơm chưa?
What does it mean word for word?
The word khoẻ literally means healthy or strong. The phrase ăn cơm chưa? literally translates to "have you eaten rice yet?"
Which one should you use?
The phrase khoẻ không? is a neutral way to ask if someone is healthy or well. In contrast, khoẻ chứ? carries a stronger assumption that the person is doing well, similar to saying "you are well, right?" While khoẻ không? focuses specifically on physical health, dạo này sao? is used to ask more generally, "how have you been lately?" or "how are things lately?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase ăn cơm chửa? is a regional variation of ăn cơm chưa? used specifically in Thanh Hóa province.
How does it change in a sentence?
In more complete or formal sentences, the particle có is often placed before the adjective to form a question, such as in Anh có khoẻ không?
When do people say it?
Asking ăn cơm chưa? (have you eaten rice yet?) is a common, culturally-rooted way to greet someone or show care in Vietnamese.
Did you know?
- The word không shares a common root with the word for 'zero' in Korean, Hokkien and Teochew.
Examples in context
- Anh có khoẻ không?How are you?This sentence shows how to use khoẻ không? in a complete question.Tatoeba #10750861 by megamanenm, translation #373320 by CK
- Mọi người ở nhà có khoẻ không?Is everyone at home doing well?
Example conversation
Nam meets Mai on the street and greets her.
- NamChào Mai, em có khoẻ không?Hello Mai, how are you?
- MaiEm khoẻ, cảm ơn anh.I am well, thank you.
- NamCông việc của em vẫn tốt chứ?Is your work still going well?
- MaiVẫn ổn anh ạ.It's still fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how are you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (dạo, này, sao, ăn, cơm, chưa) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dạo, khoẻ, không, này, sao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
