nó
[nɔ˧˦]
In Vietnamese, the English pronoun it is translated as nó.
nó is used as a subject pronoun to refer to an inanimate thing.
Meaning: subject, inanimate thing (pron)
Which one should you use?
When referring to a person, nó is used for children, younger siblings or close friends of the same age, but it should not be used for elders or superiors.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word nó is considered colloquial. Using it to refer to a person is considered informal or even disrespectful depending on the person's age.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word nó does not change its form based on the gender of the inanimate object it refers to.
Did you know?
- Vietnamese has no single word that functions exactly like the English 'it' in 'It is raining'. Instead, Vietnamese often omits the subject entirely and just says mưa meaning 'rain'.
- Because 'nó' likely stems from the word 'nọ', meaning 'that yonder', it carries a historical sense of pointing to something distant or specific.
- While nó is used for inanimate things, Vietnamese often avoids pronouns entirely by repeating the noun. A speaker might say 'The cat is hungry, the cat is eating' instead of using nó for 'it'.
Examples in context
- Nó có thể nổ.It might explode.Tatoeba #4785978 by tucm, translation #2248785 by CK
- Để nó làm đi.Let him do it.This sentence shows how nó can be used to refer to a personTatoeba #9037709 by dotheduyet1999, translation #284591 by CK
- Nó khá ấm áp.It is quite warm.Tatoeba #12069726 by mqd, translation #13723896 by an_hien
- 428 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Mai are looking at a small gift on the table.
- MinhNó là gì vậy?What is it?
- MaiNó là quà của em.It is my gift.
- MinhNó đẹp quá!It is so beautiful!
- MaiEm rất thích nó.I really like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “it” translations and entries nó, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nó, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
