cô
[ko˧˧]
The Vietnamese word for Ms. is cô.
cô is used as a title before a woman's name or surname, regardless of whether she is married or single.
Which one should you use?
While cô is a versatile title for women, bà is a more formal title used for older women or women of higher social status, equivalent to 'Madam' or 'Mrs.' in a formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Vietnamese, the title cô is placed before the person's name or surname to address them formally.
Did you know?
- One of the historical Sino-Vietnamese roots for cô is the character 孤, which means 'lonesome' or 'solitary'.
- In a classroom setting, calling a woman cô is not just a title of respect but is actually a shorthand for the word for 'female teacher'.
- In certain family contexts, the word cô is used specifically to refer to a paternal aunt, rather than just being a general title for a woman.
Examples in context
- Chào cô Lan.Hello Ms. Lan.
- Tôi muốn gặp cô Nguyễn.I want to meet Ms. Nguyen.
Example conversation
Chi and Tuấn are discussing a new colleague at the office.
- ChiTuấn, cậu đã gặp cô Mai chưa?Tuan, have you met Ms. Mai yet?
- TuấnTớ chưa gặp cô ấy.I haven't met her yet.
- ChiCô Mai là quản lý mới của chúng ta.Ms. Mai is our new manager.
- TuấnVậy tớ sẽ đi chào cô ấy.In that case, I will go say hello to her.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cô, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cô, CC BY-SA 4.0.
