tôi ghét bạn
[toj˧˧ ɣɛt̚˧˦ ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ]word by word
The phrase "I hate you" in Vietnamese is tôi ghét bạn.
This phrase is used to express an intense dislike for someone.
Meaning: expression of intense dislike (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tôi (I), ghét (hate) and bạn (you/friend).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the southern region of Vietnam, people may use the informal phrase Tao ghét mày to express "I hate you."
How does it change in a sentence?
In Vietnamese, the word for 'you' (bạn) is often replaced with specific kinship pronouns depending on the age and gender of the person being addressed. To say "I hate you too", you add cũng (also/too) after the subject, resulting in tôi cũng ghét bạn.
Did you know?
- The humble pronoun tôi used in 'I hate you' is believed to have originated from a word meaning 'slave' or 'servant'.
- In a real argument, a Vietnamese speaker would rarely use bạn and instead use a kinship term to mock the other person's age or status.
- While bạn means 'friend', using it in tôi ghét bạn creates a sharp irony since you are addressing someone as a 'friend' while expressing hate.
Examples in context
- "Tôi ghét bạn!" "Tôi cũng thế!""I hate you!" "Me too!"This example shows how to respond to the phrase tôi ghét bạn with "Me too!"Tatoeba #9067213 by dotheduyet1999, translation #9056324 by Amastan
- Tôi ghét bạn thật đấy.I really hate you.
Example conversation
Chi and Tuấn are arguing after a disagreement.
- ChiTại sao bạn lại làm vậy với tôi?Why did you do that to me?
- TuấnTôi không quan tâm.I don't care.
- ChiTôi ghét bạn!I hate you!
- TuấnChúng ta hãy im lặng đi.Let's just be quiet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I hate you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (tôi, ghét, bạn) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bạn, ghét, tôi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
