Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| ngôn ngữ | [ŋon˧˧ ŋɨ˦ˀ˥] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋoŋ˧˧ ŋɨ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
| tiếng | [tiəŋ˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| tiếng nói | [tiəŋ˧˦ nɔj˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥ nɔj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
The term refers to a body of words used for communication. When you want to name a specific language, such as English or Vietnamese, you use the word tiếng followed by the name of that language, such as tiếng Anh or tiếng Việt.
What does it mean word for word?
tiếng nói literally translates to 'sound of voice' and is used to refer to spoken language or the act of speaking.
Which one should you use?
ngôn ngữ is the formal, academic term used when discussing the concept of language in general or when discussing linguistics. In contrast, tiếng is the much more common, everyday way to refer to a specific language. tiếng nói focuses specifically on spoken language or speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term ngôn ngữ serves as the base for the Vietnamese word for linguistics, which is ngôn ngữ học.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the word tiếng is also used as a classifier for 'hours' when counting the duration of time.
- The word tiếng can be used to refer to a person's 'reputation' or 'fame' in a social context.
- The formal term ngôn ngữ shares a common root with the Japanese word 'gengo' and the Korean word 'eoneo' for language.
Examples in context
- Ngôn ngữ nào khó nhất?Which language is the most difficult?This sentence is useful for asking which language is the most difficult using ngôn ngữ.Tatoeba #1581685 by trieuho, translation #7794364 by sharris123
- Họ muốn học ngôn ngữ gì?What language do they want to learn?This sentence is useful for asking what language someone wants to learn using ngôn ngữ.Tatoeba #13940936 by leucammieuvu, translation #12435556 by Miktsoanit
- Tiếng mẹ đẻ của bạn là gì?What's your native language?This sentence is useful for asking about a person's native language using tiếng.Tatoeba #8954595 by dotheduyet1999, translation #997544 by CK
- Ngôn ngữ có vai trò quan trọng trong việc giao tiếp giữa con người.Language plays an important role in communication between humans.
- 67 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nam and Lan are discussing their studies at a cafe.
- NamBạn đang học ngôn ngữ gì vậy?What language are you studying?
- LanMình đang học ngôn ngữ mới.I am studying a new language.
- NamNgôn ngữ đó có khó không?Is that language difficult?
- LanNó hơi khó nhưng rất thú vị.It is a bit difficult but very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “language” translations and entries ngôn ngữ, tiếng, tiếng nói, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ngôn, ngôn ngữ, ngữ, tiếng, tiếng nói, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
