Ý
[ʔi˧˦]
The English phrase "italy" is translated into Vietnamese as Ý. Wiktionary also lists Ý Đại Lợi and nước Ý.
Meaning: country in southern Europe (name)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| Ý | [ʔi˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɪj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| Ý Đại Lợi | [ʔi˧˦ ʔɗaːj˧˨ʔ ləːj˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗaːj˨˩ʔ ləːj˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
| nước Ý | [nɨək̚˧˦ ʔi˧˦] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| I-ta-li-a | [ʔi˧˧ taː˧˧ li˧˧ ʔaː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɪj˧˧ taː˧˧ lɪj˧˧ ʔaː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The word refers to the country located in southern Europe.
Which one should you use?
Ý is the most common way to refer to the country in conversation. However, nước Ý is a more grammatically complete way to specify the entity as a nation. Ý Đại Lợi is an obsolete form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Ý is a colloquial way to name the country. nước Ý is more suitable for formal writing, while I-ta-li-a is another way to refer to the country.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word nước (meaning country) is often added before Ý to form the complete noun phrase nước Ý.
Did you know?
- The name Ý Đại Lợi is a transcription of Italy based on Mandarin Chinese 意大利 (Yìdàlì) rather than a direct loan from Italian.
- While Ý refers to the country, the word ý in Vietnamese is also a very common noun meaning 'idea', 'meaning', or 'intention'.
- The term I-ta-li-a uses a hyphenated phonetic spelling, which is a common way Vietnamese adapts foreign names into its alphabet.
Examples in context
- Ý là một đất nước rất đẹpItaly is a very beautiful country.This sentence illustrates the use of Ý to describe the country's beauty.Tatoeba #12554118 by thanhcona40, translation #1658 by CK
- Anh ấy đã đi Ý bằng đường bộ.He went to Italy by land.This sentence shows how to use Ý when discussing travel.Tatoeba #9038117 by dotheduyet1999, translation #304640 by Dejo
- Nước Ý nằm ở phía nam châu âu.Italy is in southern Europe.This sentence uses Ý to specify the country's location in Europe.Tatoeba #10269473 by Alex_do, translation #10085396 by CK
- Em nghe nói Ý đang chuẩn bị tổ chức một triển lãm nghệ thuật lớn. Thật sao? Em cũng muốn tham gia triển lãm đó!I heard that Italy is preparing for a large art exhibition. Really? I also want to participate in that exhibition!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their dream travel destinations.
- MaiNam ơi, bạn có thích Ý không?Nam, do you like Italy?
- NamCó, tôi rất muốn đến đó.Yes, I really want to go there.
- MaiTôi cũng muốn đi Ý cùng bạn.I also want to go to Italy with you.
- NamÝ tưởng hay đấy, Mai!That's a great idea, Mai!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “italy” translations and entries Ý, Ý Đại Lợi, I-ta-li-a, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nước, Ý) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Lợi, nước, Ý, Ý Đại Lợi, ý, Đại, đại, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
