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 |
The phrase is used to affirm romantic feelings, but the specific words you choose depend entirely on the gender and age relationship of the people speaking. In romantic contexts, selecting the correct pronouns is the most important part of expressing affection.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase anh yêu em literally translates to "older brother loves younger sister," but in a romantic context, these words function as the pronouns for "I" and "you".
Which one should you use?
While anh yêu em is used by a man to a woman, em yêu anh is used by a woman to a man. For peers or friends of equal status, you should use tớ yêu cậu. The phrase mình yêu bạn is an impersonal way to express the sentiment, noting that bạn can mean both "friend" and "you". For a humorous or slangy effect, some speakers use ngộ ái nị, which mimics a Chinese-influenced phonetic style.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In romantic relationships, you might hear the shortened informal version Yêu anh/chị, which omits the word em. For casual or humorous situations, ngộ ái nị serves as slang.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender and age relationship of the speakers. For example, a man addressing a woman uses anh yêu em, while a woman addressing a man uses em yêu anh.
Did you know?
- The verb yêu may have originally described physical beauty rather than affection, likely evolving from a Chinese root meaning 'charming' or 'graceful'.
Examples in context
- Anh yêu em rất nhiều.I love you very much.This sentence shows how to express intense affection 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 describes a woman's hesitation to use the phrase em yêu anh.Tatoeba #4274425 by phuc, translation #3384262 by petersmr
- Em yêu anh!I love you.This sentence is a direct way to say "I love you" using em yêu anh.Tatoeba #405410 by sysko, translation #1434 by awael58
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Mai are having a romantic dinner.
- MinhAnh yêu em.I love you.
- MaiEm cũng yêu anh.I love you too.
- MinhEm có biết không?Do you know?
- MaiEm biết mà.I know.
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.
