sự ôm
The English word "hug" is translated into Vietnamese as sự ôm.
The noun sự ôm refers to an affectionate embrace. Related to this is the verb ôm, which can mean both "to hug" and "to hold (something in one's arms)" depending on the context. When describing two people performing this action, speakers often use the phrase ôm nhau to mean "to hug each other".
Meaning: affectionate embrace (noun)
Which one should you use?
While sự ôm is a formal nominalization, cái ôm is the more common way to express "a hug" as a concrete noun in everyday speech. The verb ôm stands alone to mean the action of hugging or holding.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the act of two people hugging, it is common to add the reflexive pronoun nhau (each other) after the verb ôm, resulting in ôm nhau.
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, ôm can be used in a technical sense to refer to an 'ohm' as a unit of electrical resistance.
- In traditional Vietnamese social norms, public hugging was historically much less common than in Western cultures and is often reserved for very close family.
Example sentences for Vietnamese are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Nam and Chi are saying goodbye.
- NamChi, cho anh xin sự ôm cuối cùng nhé.Chi, give me one last hug.
- ChiĐược thôi, Nam.Sure, Nam.
- NamSự ôm này làm anh thấy vui hơn.This hug makes me feel happier.
- ChiEm cũng vậy.Me too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hug” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sự, ôm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
