mít
[mit̚˧˦]
To say jackfruit in Vietnamese, use mít. You will also hear trái mít or quả mít. If unsure, use mít.
Meaning: the fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| mít | [mit̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [mit̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| trái mít | [t͡ɕaːj˧˦ mit̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| quả mít | [kwaː˧˩ mit̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
mít refers specifically to the jackfruit and can stand alone for the fruit itself.
Which one should you use?
Jackfruit is often described by its texture. mít dai is jackfruit with firm, chewy or dry flesh, often preferred for certain snacks. mít mật is very ripe, soft and sweet like honey.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Vietnam, people add the classifier trái before the noun, giving trái mít. In Northern Vietnam, the classifier quả is used, giving quả mít.
How does it change in a sentence?
trái and quả are classifiers for fruit placed before the noun when you mean a single fruit.
Did you know?
- In Northern Vietnam, the native word for fruit, giái, was largely replaced in prestige dialects by the Sino-Vietnamese word quả because giái sounded too much like the word for 'testicles' (dái).
- The Vietnamese word mít for jackfruit ultimately comes from the Sanskrit word pāramitā, which refers to perfection or a path to enlightenment.
- While many fruits use the classifier quả in the North, the word trái is used as a standard part of many complex terms, such as Trái Đất for 'the Earth'.
Examples in context
- mít dai/ráoJackfruit with firm, dry fleshmít dai names the firm, dry type of jackfruit.
- mít mật/ướtJackfruit with soft, mushy, wet fleshmít mật names the soft, wet type of jackfruit.
- Tôi thích ăn mít.I like eating jackfruit.
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are at a fruit market.
- LanAnh Minh ơi, mua mít không?Minh, do you want to buy some jackfruit?
- MinhMít hôm nay có ngọt không em?Is the jackfruit sweet today, Lan?
- LanMít rất ngọt và thơm ạ.The jackfruit is very sweet and fragrant.
- MinhVậy lấy cho anh một quả nhé.Then please get one fruit for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jackfruit” translations and entries mít, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (trái, mít, quả) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mít, quả, trái, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
