nhà bếp
[ɲaː˨˩ ʔɓep̚˧˦]
The English word "kitchen" is translated into Vietnamese as nhà bếp. Wiktionary also lists bếp.
Meaning: room (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| nhà bếp | [ɲaː˨˩ ʔɓep̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ɲaː˦˩ ʔɓep̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| bếp | [ʔɓep̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓep̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
The term is used to refer to the room in a house where food is prepared and cooked.
What does it mean word for word?
The term nhà bếp is composed of nhà, meaning house or building and bếp, meaning kitchen or stove.
Which one should you use?
While nhà bếp is the full term, bếp is a shortened form that is much more common in daily conversation. Notably, bếp can refer to either the kitchen room itself or the stove used for cooking.
Did you know?
- The word nhà is not just used for 'house' but also acts as a prefix to denote a professional or expert, such as nhà khoa học for 'scientist'.
- In traditional Vietnamese homes, the bếp was frequently a completely separate building located behind the main house to isolate the living areas from heat and smoke.
- The phrase bếp lửa refers to a traditional hearth and is often used as a poetic symbol for the emotional heart and warmth of a family.
Examples in context
- Họ ngồi trong bếp.They sat in the kitchen.This sentence shows how to use bếp to describe where people are sitting.Tatoeba #3839443 by letuananh, translation #3836049 by Hybrid
- Mẹ tôi ở trong bếp.My mom is in the kitchen.This sentence demonstrates using bếp to locate someone.Tatoeba #13249638 by leucammieuvu, translation #13247250 by Lumi
- Tom không ở trong bếp.Tom wasn't in the kitchen.This sentence illustrates using bếp in a negative context to state someone is not in the room.Tatoeba #8964667 by dotheduyet1999, translation #8964589 by CK
- Xin chào, mời quý khách vào nhà hàng. Bếp ở tầng trên cùng, quý khách vui lòng đi thang máy.Hello, please enter the restaurant. The kitchen is on the top floor, please use the elevator.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Tuấn are looking for a glass in the house.
- HươngChiếc ly ở đâu vậy Tuấn?Where is the glass, Tuấn?
- TuấnNó đang ở trong nhà bếp.It is in the kitchen.
- HươngĐể tôi vào nhà bếp tìm xem.Let me go into the kitchen to look for it.
- TuấnỪ, nó ở trên bàn đó.Yes, it is on the table.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kitchen” translations and entries nhà bếp, bếp, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nhà, nhà bếp, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
