vải
[vaːj˧˩]
The Vietnamese word for lychee is vải.
vải refers to the lychee fruit.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify the fruit in a sentence, it is common to add the classifier quả before the word vải, resulting in quả vải.
Did you know?
- The word vải is related to the ancient term for 'cotton' and shares roots with the Sanskrit word 'karpāsa'.
- The term lệ chi is often used due to a misunderstanding where people assume that written Chinese terms must represent spoken Vietnamese.
- In Vietnamese, the word vải can be used to refer to fabric, a meaning entirely separate from the fruit.
Examples in context
- Tôi thích ăn vải.I like eating lychee.
- Quả vải này rất ngọt.This lychee is very sweet.
- Bạn có muốn ăn vải không?Do you want to eat some lychee?
Example conversation
Mai and Minh are at a fruit market.
- MaiMinh ơi, nhìn xem vải tươi quá!Minh, look, the lychees are so fresh!
- MinhĐúng rồi, chúng ta mua một ít nhé.You're right, let's buy some.
- MaiAnh muốn mua bao nhiêu cân vải?How many kilograms of lychees do you want to buy?
- MinhMột cân là đủ cho cả nhà rồi.One kilogram is enough for the whole family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lychee” translations and entries vải, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vải, CC BY-SA 4.0.
