chanh
[t͡ɕajŋ̟˧˧]
The English word lime is chanh in Vietnamese.
chanh refers to the green citrus fruit.
Meaning: green citrus fruit (noun)
Which one should you use?
While chanh means lime, adding the word leo creates the word for passion fruit, which is chanh leo.
Related words
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may confuse the fruit chanh with the chemical substance vôi (calcium oxide/lime) due to the English homonym.
Did you know?
- If you call a person chanh in Vietnamese, you are not talking about fruit, but rather calling them 'prissy' or 'stuck-up'.
- The word chanh is a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 橙, which actually means 'orange'.
- Depending on the region, a Vietnamese speaker using the word chanh might be referring to a citrus fruit much larger than a standard English lime.
Examples in context
- Đây là một cây chanh.This is a lime tree.This sentence shows how to use the form chanh to identify a lime tree.Tatoeba #9769385 by dotheduyet1999, translation #8106463 by iT4LL
- Tôi muốn một cốc nước chanh.I want a glass of lime juice.
- Hãy thêm một quả chanh vào món này.Add a lime to this dish.
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are at a small cafe.
- MinhLan ơi, em uống trà hay nước chanh?Lan, do you want tea or lime juice?
- LanEm muốn uống nước chanh, anh Minh.I want to drink lime juice, Minh.
- MinhĐược rồi, để anh gọi đồ uống.Okay, let me order the drinks.
- LanCảm ơn anh nhé.Thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lime” translations and entries chanh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chanh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
