trả
[t͡ɕaː˧˩]
The English verb 'pay' is translated into Vietnamese as trả. Wiktionary also lists thanh toán.
Meaning: to give money in exchange for goods or services (verb)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| trả | [t͡ɕaː˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈaː˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
| thanh toán | [tʰajŋ̟˧˧ twaːn˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tʰɛɲ˧˧ twaːŋ˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
In Vietnamese, both trả and thanh toán are used to express giving money in exchange for goods or services. If you are talking about money given in return for work, you might use the nouns lương or tiền công instead.
Which one should you use?
trả is the common, everyday word for paying, but it also literally means to return or give back something. In contrast, thanh toán is used to settle a payment, such as an invoice, a bill or a professional transaction.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
While trả can mean pay, it is very common to use the compound trả tiền (to pay money) to make the meaning of 'paying' explicit in a sentence. When paying a person directly for something, you often use the structure trả tiền cho [someone].
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the word trả can be used in the phrase trả thù to mean 'taking revenge', literally meaning to 'pay back' a wrong.
- The formal word thanh toán shares a linguistic root with the Japanese word seisan, which also means to settle accounts.
Examples in context
- Thanh toán hóa đơn đi.Pay the bill.This sentence is useful for practicing the formal term thanh toán.Tatoeba #14039294 by leucammieuvu, translation #14039266 by Adelpa
- Tôi sẽ trả tiền cho bạn.I'll pay you.This sentence shows how to use trả when paying a person.Tatoeba #9714608 by dotheduyet1999, translation #1890926 by CK
- Bạn cần thanh toán trước.You need to pay in advance.This sentence demonstrates the use of thanh toán in the context of paying in advance.Tatoeba #5147677 by truongap, translation #273622 by CK
- Tôi muốn thanh toánI want to pay
- Tôi đã trả tiềnI have paid
- Tôi muốn đặt tiền trướcI want to pay a deposit
- Tôi phải trả tiềnI have to pay
- Tôi sẽ trảI will pay
- Tôi trả tiền mặtI pay in cash
- Bạn có thẻ thanh toán không?Do you have a card to pay with?
- Xin lỗi, tôi chỉ có tiền mặt.Sorry, I only have cash.
- Không vấn đề, chúng tôi cũng chấp nhận tiền mặt.No problem, we also accept cash.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Hùng are finishing a meal at a small restaurant.
- HươngĐể em trả tiền bữa ăn nhé.Let me pay for the meal.
- HùngKhông, để anh trả cho.No, let me pay for it.
- HươngAnh Hùng, anh cứ để em trả.Hung, please let me pay.
- HùngVậy lần sau em nhé.Then, next time is yours.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pay” translations and entries trả, thanh toán, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries thanh, thanh toán, toán, trả, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
