đất
[ʔɗət̚˧˦]
The Vietnamese word for land is đất.
đất refers to the part of the Earth that is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water. While it is the standard word for land in a geographical sense, it is also the primary word used for soil or dirt.
Meaning: part of Earth that is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water (noun)
Which one should you use?
đất can mean either land or soil/dirt depending on the context, whereas the related term đất đai is used more specifically to refer to land as a resource or territory.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form đất đai is a reduplicated form used when referring to land as a resource or territory.
Did you know?
- The word đất can be used in the phrase đất diễn, which literally means 'acting land' but figuratively refers to the opportunity or space for someone to show their talent.
- In Vietnamese culture, the phrase đất tổ refers to 'ancestral land', a concept central to the tradition of returning to one's home village to honor ancestors.
- The phrase đất lành chim đậu translates to 'birds perch on fertile land' and is used to describe a peaceful place that attracts people.
Examples in context
- Xin chào đất liền!Hello land!This sentence shows a greeting directed toward the land.Tatoeba #14032834 by nhuttan2004, translation #12558720 by Lake
- Đất đai ở đây trù phú và màu mỡ.The land here is rich and fertile.This sentence describes the quality of the land in a specific area.Tatoeba #11299667 by chaule3, translation #11299655 by chaule3
- Cô ấy đến từ một vùng đất xa xôi.She's from a far-off land.This sentence describes someone coming from a distant land.Tatoeba #11299669 by chaule3, translation #11299668 by chaule3
- Đất nước Việt Nam rất đẹpVietnam is a beautiful country
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Mai are looking at a map of an island.
- TuấnHòn đảo này có nhiều đất không?Does this island have much land?
- MaiCó, phần lớn là đất rừng.Yes, most of it is forest land.
- TuấnChúng ta có thể cắm trại trên đất này không?Can we camp on this land?
- MaiĐược, nhưng phải xin phép trước.Yes, but we must ask for permission first.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “land” translations and entries đất, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
