đá
[ʔɗaː˧˦]
The English word "ice" can be translated into Vietnamese as either đá or băng.
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| đá | [ʔɗaː˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɗaː˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| băng | [ʔɓaŋ˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓaŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
In Vietnamese, the choice of word depends on whether you are referring to the substance or the specific pieces used in food and drinks. Use đá when requesting ice for a beverage or when talking about ice cubes and crushed ice. If you are in a restaurant or cafe and want ice for your drink, you should use đá.
Which one should you use?
đá is used for specific forms like ice cubes, crushed ice or ice used for cooling drinks. In contrast, băng refers to ice as a natural substance, such as an ice sheet, an iceberg or a frozen surface.
Did you know?
- The Vietnamese word đá for 'ice' is the same word used for 'rock' or 'stone'.
- The word băng for 'ice' is a Sino-Vietnamese loanword derived from the Chinese character 冰.
- While đá is used for ice in drinks, the word băng is often used in literature to describe 'thin ice' as a metaphor for being in a precarious or dangerous situation.
Examples in context
- Lạnh như băng vậy.It's as cold as ice.This example shows how to use băng in a simile regarding coldness.Tatoeba #11475734 by OneJanuary, translation #442090 by CK
- Đá là nước ở dạng cứng.Ice is water in solid form.This example provides a scientific definition of đá as water in a solid state.Tatoeba #5148697 by truongap, translation #3696764 by Lindoula
- Tôi muốn ăn kem hoặc đá bào.I want to eat either ice cream or shaved ice.This example illustrates the use of đá in the context of đá bào, which specifically refers to shaved ice often used in desserts.Tatoeba #5758811 by yippe, translation #3777900 by CK
- Tôi muốn một ly nước có đáI would like a glass of water with ice
- Nước này có thể cho thêm đá lạnh không?Can I have some cold ice in this drink?
- Cho thêm nước đá vào cốc tràAdd some ice to the cup of tea
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Mai are at a coffee shop.
- MaiCho em thêm đá nhé.Please give me some more ice.
- MinhEm muốn uống nước đá à?Do you want to drink iced water?
- MaiVâng, trà của em hết đá rồi.Yes, my tea has run out of ice.
- MinhĐể anh đi lấy thêm cho.Let me go get some more for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations and entries đá, băng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries băng, đá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
