tôi nhớ bạn
[toj˧˧ ɲəː˧˦ ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ]word by word
The English phrase "I miss you" is translated into Vietnamese as tôi nhớ bạn.
tôi nhớ bạn is a neutral, somewhat formal way to say 'I miss you' and is most commonly used between friends or in textbooks.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tôi nhớ bạn is composed of tôi (I), nhớ (to miss/remember) and bạn (friend/you).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Vietnamese, the words for 'I' and 'you' change based on the gender and age relationship between the speakers. For example, a man speaking to a woman can say anh nhớ em to mean "I miss you", while a woman speaking to a man in a romantic context uses em nhớ anh.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often rely on tôi nhớ bạn for all situations, but using it with a romantic partner or an elder can sound cold or unnatural due to the impersonal pronouns.
Did you know?
- The pronoun tôi used in 'I miss you' actually evolved from a word meaning 'slave' or 'servant'.
- The word nhớ serves a double purpose in Vietnamese, meaning both 'to miss' someone and 'to remember' something.
- Using the neutral 'I' and 'you' in tôi nhớ bạn avoids the complicated system of using kinship terms like 'older brother' or 'younger sister' as pronouns.
Examples in context
- Tôi nhớ bạnI miss you.This sentence is useful for saying "I miss you" using the form tôi nhớ bạn.Tatoeba #12528568 by thanhcona40, translation #1308 by brauliobezerra
- Tôi nhớ bạn rất nhiều.I miss you very much.
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are talking on the phone after a long time.
- MinhChào Lan, tôi nhớ bạn.Hello Lan, I miss you.
- LanTôi cũng nhớ bạn, Minh!I miss you too, Minh!
- MinhKhi nào bạn về thăm tôi?When are you coming to visit me?
- LanTôi sẽ về vào tuần tới.I will return next week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I miss 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, nhớ, bạn) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bạn, nhớ, tôi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
Thanks!