Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| như thế nào | [ɲɨ˧˧ tʰe˧˦ naːw˨˩] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| làm sao | [laːm˨˩ saːw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [laːm˦˩ ʂaːw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| sao | [saːw˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʂaːw˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The translation of "how" depends on whether you are asking about the manner or method of an action, or asking for an opinion or status. như thế nào is the standard way to inquire about the manner or method of something. The form làm sao can be used to express exclamation, such as "How beautiful!"
Which one should you use?
như thế nào is used to ask about manner or method, whereas sao is more often used to ask about status or an opinion. sao is a shorter, more colloquial version of the standard inquiry.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
sao is an informal, colloquial term used in casual conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
When sao is placed at the end of a sentence, such as in Thứ Hai thì sao?, it functions similarly to "how about" or "what about" in English. To make a question using như thế nào sound more natural and polite in spoken Vietnamese, you can add the particle vậy to the end to form như thế nào vậy.
Did you know?
- The term sao was recorded as ſao in a Portuguese-Latin-Vietnamese dictionary as early as 1651.
Examples in context
- Thứ Hai thì sao?How about Monday?This sentence shows how to use sao to mean "what about".Tatoeba #13340718 by leucammieuvu, translation #6667124 by CK
- Thật đẹp làm sao!How beautiful!This sentence demonstrates the use of làm sao for exclamation.Tatoeba #5161369 by truongap, translation #1913083 by CK
- Bạn làm như thế nào vậy?How did you do it?This sentence illustrates a standard way to ask about manner using như thế nào.Tatoeba #13173357 by leucammieuvu, translation #871758 by CK
- Tình hình học tập của con bạn làm sao?How is your child's academic progress?
- Làm sao tôi có thể giúp bạn?How can I assist you?
- Bạn thấy chiếc ô tô này thế nào?How do you find this car?
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Nam are discussing how to use a new coffee machine.
- ChiCái máy này dùng như thế nào vậy Nam?How do you use this machine, Nam?
- NamĐể anh chỉ cho Chi nhé.Let me show you, Chi.
- ChiPhải bấm nút này như thế nào?How should I press this button?
- NamChi chỉ cần nhấn nhẹ một cái thôi.You just need to press it lightly once.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how” translations and entries làm sao, sao, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (như, thế, nào) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries làm, làm sao, như, nào, sao, thế, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
