hả
[haː˧˩]
The English phrase "huh" is translated into Vietnamese as hả.
hả is an informal interjection used to express surprise, doubt or to ask for clarification when you have not heard or understood something.
Meaning: expressing doubt or confusion (intj)
How does it change in a sentence?
When placed as a question particle at the end of a sentence, hả turns the statement into a question seeking confirmation, similar to adding "right?" or "huh?" in English.
Did you know?
- Vietnamese pronouns are deeply tied to social hierarchy, so saying hả to an elder without an accompanying polite particle like ạ could be seen as incredibly disrespectful.
- The tone of hả is the 'hook' tone (hỏi), which is a dipping and rising tone that mimics the natural inflection of a question in English.
- The word hả can be used as a 'tag question' to mirror the English 'right?', but unlike English, it can be applied to almost any sentence structure regardless of the verb.
Examples in context
- Cái gì?What? or Huh?
- Hả?Huh? or What?
- Cái gì hả?What, huh?
- Anh nói gì hả?What did you say, huh?
- Thật hả?Really, huh?
Example conversation
Lan and Hùng are discussing a change in plans.
- LanNgày mai chúng ta không đi nữa.We aren't going tomorrow anymore.
- HùngHả? Tại sao vậy?Huh? Why is that?
- LanVì trời sẽ mưa to lắm.Because it's going to rain heavily.
- HùngTiếc quá, tôi đã chuẩn bị xong rồi.That's too bad, I was already prepared.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hả, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
