How to Say "Italian" in Vietnamese

tiếng Ý

[tiəŋ˧˦ ʔi˧˦]

The English phrase 'italian' in Vietnamese is tiếng Ý.

tiếng Ý is used to refer to the Italian language.

Meaning: language (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase tiếng Ý is composed of tiếng, meaning language or sound and Ý, meaning Italy or Italian.

While tiếng Ý refers to the language, người Ý is used to refer to an Italian person.

To specify a language in Vietnamese, the word tiếng is placed before the name of the country or the adjective.

The word Ý for Italy is a shortened version of the transcription Ý Đại Lợi, which was borrowed from Mandarin Chinese.
Vietnamese uses the same word Ý to refer to Italy and to the Sino-Vietnamese concept of 'intention' or 'meaning'.
Because tiếng means 'sound', Vietnamese speakers can use it to describe the 'sound' of a language's melody without referring to its grammar.

Mẹ cô ấy nói tiếng Ý.
His mom speaks Italian.
This sentence is useful for saying that someone's mother speaks tiếng Ý.
Tatoeba #13888048 by leucammieuvu, translation #13887208 by rul
Trong tiếng Ý cái đó nói thế nào?
How do you say that in Italian?
This sentence is useful for asking how to say something in tiếng Ý.
Tatoeba #5802 by trieuho, translation #1649 by CK
Tôi đã gặp một người Ý tại hội thảo.
I met an Italian person at the conference.
Người Ý rất nhiệt tình và thân thiện.
Italians are very enthusiastic and friendly.
Tôi đang học tiếng Ý để du lịch đến Ý.
I'm learning Italian for my trip to Italy.
Tiếng Ý rất đẹp và lãng mạn.
The Italian language is beautiful and romantic.
Tôi đang học tiếng Ý.
I am learning Italian.

Hương and Nam are talking about their language classes at a cafe.

Sources

Wiktionary, “italian” translations and entries tiếng Ý, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries tiếng, Ý, ý, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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