em gái
[ʔɛm˧˧ ɣaːj˧˦]
The English phrase "little sister" is translated into Vietnamese as em gái.
em gái is used to refer to a female sibling who is younger than the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of em (younger sibling) and gái (female/girl).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Vietnamese, em is a kinship term that can also function as a second-person pronoun when addressing someone younger.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the word em can be used to address a romantic partner regardless of their actual age or sibling status.
- Vietnamese culture uses an extensive system of kinship terms like em to establish social hierarchy and respect even between strangers.
- The word gái used in em gái is linguistically related to the word cái, which is used to mark feminine nouns or objects.
Examples in context
- Cô ta không đúng giờ bằng em gái của mình.She is not as punctual as her little sister.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use em gái when making a comparison.Tatoeba #4785961 by tucm, translation #4784315 by garborg
- Chị ơi, đây là em gái của tôi.Sister, this is my little sister.
- Chào em gái nhỏ của anh!Hello, little sister!
- Em gái tôi rất thông minh.My little sister is very smart.
- Bạn có em gái không?Do you have a little sister?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- MinhNhà bạn có mấy người?How many people are in your family?
- HươngNhà mình có bốn người, bao gồm một em gái.My family has four people, including one little sister.
- MinhEm gái bạn bao nhiêu tuổi rồi?How old is your little sister?
- HươngEm ấy mười tuổi.She is ten years old.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry em gái, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries em, gái, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
