lười biếng
[lɨəj˨˩ ʔɓiəŋ˧˦]
The Vietnamese word for lazy is lười biếng. Wiktionary also lists lười.
Meaning: unwilling to work (adj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| lười biếng | [lɨəj˨˩ ʔɓiəŋ˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [lɨj˦˩ ʔɓiəŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| lười | [lɨəj˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [lɨj˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
Both lười biếng and the shortened lười are used to describe someone who is unwilling to work or exert effort. When you want to say you are too lazy to perform a specific action, you can place the verb directly after lười, such as lười làm (lazy to do/work).
Which one should you use?
lười biếng is the full form, while lười is a shorter version. lười is more common in casual, spoken conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the idea of being 'lazy to [verb]', you can place the verb directly after lười.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese culture, laziness is often contrasted with chịu khó, a term that literally means 'enduring hardship'. To be hardworking is not just about efficiency but about a willingness to suffer for a goal.
- In many Vietnamese households, laziness is often framed as a lack of hiếu, or filial piety. Being lười is not just a personal flaw but is seen as a failure to support one's parents and ancestors.
- The word lười descends from a Proto-Mon-Khmer root meaning 'to dissolve' or 'to melt'. This suggests that laziness was historically conceptualized as a state of becoming loose or dissolving.
Examples in context
- Tom cực kỳ lười.Tom is extremely lazy.This sentence shows how to use lười to describe someone's level of laziness.Tatoeba #9165638 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3442190 by CK
- Tôi lười làm bài quá.I'm too lazy to do my homework.This sentence demonstrates how to use lười followed by a verb to express being too lazy to do a specific task.Tatoeba #5925 by khoaharp, translation #2155 by CK
- Cô ấy thật lười biếngShe is really lazy.This sentence illustrates the use of the full form lười biếng to describe a person.Tatoeba #10670158 by quoctrong018, translation #13451453 by an_hien
- Anh ta rất lười biếng.He is very lazy.
- Mai cậu lười quá, không làm gì cả.You are so lazy, not doing anything.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh is sitting on the sofa instead of cleaning the house.
- HươngMinh, sao anh lười biếng thế?Minh, why are you so lazy?
- MinhEm đừng nói vậy mà.Don't say that.
- HươngAnh cần phải dọn dẹp đi.You need to clean up.
- MinhAnh sẽ làm ngay đây.I will do it right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lazy” translations and entries lười biếng, lười, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lười, lười biếng, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
