biệt thự
[ʔɓiət̚˧˨ʔ tʰɨ˧˨ʔ]
The Vietnamese word for mansion is biệt thự.
biệt thự refers to a large, luxurious mansion or villa. It is commonly used in real estate contexts to describe high-end, standalone luxury properties. You can describe a mansion using the adjectives sang trọng (luxurious), cổ điển (classical) or hiện đại (modern).
Meaning: large house or building (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term biệt thự is composed of biệt, meaning separate or detached and thự, which is a classical term for a residence or estate. Literally, it means a detached villa.
Which one should you use?
While biệt thự refers specifically to a large, luxurious mansion or villa, it is distinct from nhà lớn, which is a more generic and less formal way to say a big house based only on its size.
Did you know?
- The component biệt is shared with the word for 'farewell' or 'to part ways', which highlights the concept of the house being 'separated' from the rest of the community.
- In historical Vietnamese literature, the concept of a grand estate was often associated with the phủ (mandarin's residence), which carries a different political weight than the modern biệt thự.
- While biệt thự describes the building, Vietnamese often uses the term biệt thự vườn to specifically denote a mansion with a sprawling private garden, a high status symbol in dense urban areas.
Examples in context
- Tòa nhà kia là một biệt thự rất xa xỉ.That building is a very luxurious mansion.
- Anh ấy sống trong một căn biệt thự.He lives in a mansion.
- Ngôi biệt thự này rất rộng lớn.This mansion is very large.
- Họ vừa mua một căn biệt thự mới.They just bought a new mansion.
Example conversation
Minh and Huong are looking at a real estate website.
- MinhNgôi biệt thự này có đẹp không Hương?Is this mansion beautiful, Huong?
- HươngCăn biệt thự đó thật sự rất sang trọng.That mansion is truly luxurious.
- MinhNhưng nó quá đắt so với tôi.But it is too expensive for me.
- HươngTôi cũng đồng ý với anh.I agree with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry biệt thự, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries biệt, biệt thự, thự, CC BY-SA 4.0.
