Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| anh yêu em | [ʔajŋ̟˧˧ ʔiəw˧˧ ʔɛm˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛɲ˧˧ ʔiw˧˧ ʔɛm˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| e.g. | ||
| em yêu anh | [ʔɛm˧˧ ʔiəw˧˧ ʔajŋ̟˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛm˧˧ ʔiw˧˧ ʔɛɲ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| tớ yêu cậu | [təː˧˦ ʔiəw˧˧ kəw˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) | |
| mình yêu bạn | [mïŋ˨˩ ʔiəw˧˧ ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) | impersonal |
| ngộ ái nị | [ŋo˧˨ʔ ʔaːj˧˦ ni˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋow˨˩ʔ ʔaːj˨˩˦ nɪj˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
humorous, slang |
These phrases are used to affirm romantic feelings. The specific words you choose depend heavily on the gender and relative age of the people speaking.
What does it mean word for word?
The core verb in all these phrases is yêu, which means "to love".
Which one should you use?
In a romantic context, the man is typically referred to as anh and the woman as em. Consequently, anh yêu em is used when a man says "I love you" to a woman, while em yêu anh is used when a woman says "I love you" to a man. For a non-gendered or impersonal feeling, you can use mình yêu bạn.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard forms are anh yêu em or em yêu anh. If you are speaking to a peer or a friend of similar age in an informal way, you can use tớ yêu cậu. For a humorous or playful effect, you can use the slang ngộ ái nị, which mimics a Chinese-influenced phonetic style.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender and relative age of the speakers. In a committed relationship, the man is referred to as anh (husband or boyfriend) and the woman as em (younger sister or female sibling).
When do people say it?
The phrases anh yêu em and em yêu anh are very common among married couples or those in a committed relationship.
Did you know?
- The verb yêu may have originally meant 'charming' or 'beautiful' rather than the modern 'to love'.
Examples in context
- Anh yêu em rất nhiều.I love you very much.This sentence is useful for expressing the intensity of your feelings using anh yêu em.Tatoeba #8999759 by dotheduyet1999, translation #400410 by sysko
- Cô ấy ngại ngùng nên không thể nói "Em yêu anh".She is shy so she cannot say "I love you".This sentence shows a situation where a person is unable to say em yêu anh.Tatoeba #4274425 by phuc, translation #3384262 by petersmr
- Em yêu anh!I love you.This is a simple way to express your feelings using em yêu anh.Tatoeba #405410 by sysko, translation #1434 by awael58
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Hương are having a romantic dinner together.
- HươngAnh có thấy hạnh phúc không?Are you happy?
- HùngCó, vì anh yêu em.Yes, because I love you.
- HươngEm cũng yêu anh.I love you too.
- HùngAnh yêu em rất nhiều, Hương.I love you so much, Huong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations and entries anh yêu em, em yêu anh, ngộ ái nị, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (tớ, yêu, cậu, mình, bạn) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anh, cậu, em, tớ, yêu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
