mặt trăng
[mat̚˧˨ʔ t͡ɕaŋ˧˧]word by word
The English word moon is translated into Vietnamese as mặt trăng. Wiktionary also lists trăng.
Meaning: the natural satellite of planet Earth (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| mặt trăng | [mat̚˧˨ʔ t͡ɕaŋ˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| trăng | [t͡ɕaŋ˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈaŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
In Vietnamese, the word for moon can be used to refer to the Earth's natural satellite. The shorter form trăng is often used in literature, songs and everyday descriptions regarding the moon's beauty or its current phase in the sky.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mặt trăng is composed of mặt, meaning face or surface and trăng, meaning moon.
Which one should you use?
mặt trăng is the formal noun for the celestial body. In contrast, trăng is a shorter form that is more poetic or conversational, typically used when referring to the moon's presence in the sky or its appearance.
Related words
Did you know?
- While mặt trăng is used for science, trăng is used in the expression trăng hoa, which describes someone who is flirtatious or unfaithful.
- The term trăng is used in the name of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tết Trung Thu, where the full moon is a central symbol of family reunion.
- The word mặt in mặt trăng originally meant 'eye' in ancient Vietnamese and other related languages.
Examples in context
- Trăng tròn đẹp quá.The full moon is so beautiful.This sentence is useful for using trăng to describe the beauty of a full moon.Tatoeba #13896419 by leucammieuvu, translation #13890974 by frpzzd
- Không có cỏ trên mặt trăng.There's no grass on the moon.This sentence is useful for using mặt trăng to state a fact about the moon's surface.Tatoeba #13600481 by leucammieuvu, translation #9435055 by CK
- Trên mặt trăng có nhiều hố.There are many craters on the moon.This sentence is useful for using mặt trăng to describe features found on the moon.Tatoeba #13608474 by leucammieuvu, translation #5318411 by Hybrid
- Hôm nay, mặt trăng rất sáng.Today, the moon is very bright.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are sitting on a balcony on a clear night.
- HùngNhìn kìa, mặt trăng sáng quá!Look, the moon is so bright!
- MaiĐúng vậy, mặt trăng tối nay rất đẹp.True, the moon is very beautiful tonight.
- HùngEm có thấy mặt trăng tròn không?Do you see the full moon?
- MaiCó, anh nhìn xem, nó thật lớn.Yes, look, it is so big.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moon” translations and entries mặt trăng, trăng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (mặt, trăng) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mặt, trăng, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
