người
[ŋɨəj˨˩]
In Vietnamese, the word for person is người.
The term người refers specifically to a human being. It can also serve as a prefix to form various nouns related to human roles or qualities, such as người yêu, which means lover or sweetheart.
Meaning: specifically a human being (noun)
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, the word người does not change its form to indicate plurality. Plurality is determined by the surrounding context or the use of numbers.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word người functions as both a singular and a plural noun depending on the context or the accompanying classifiers.
Did you know?
- In many social contexts, Vietnamese speakers rarely use người to address someone directly, preferring kinship terms like 'older brother' or 'aunt' instead.
- The word người shares the same ancient linguistic root as the word ngươi, which refers to the pupil of the eye.
- In Vietnamese, người is not just a noun but acts as a classifier. This means it is required when counting people, similar to how English uses 'piece' in 'two pieces of cake'.
Examples in context
- Đi theo người đó.Follow that person.This sentence shows how to use người to refer to a specific individual.Tatoeba #4653185 by xunglv, translation #4653104 by saluyot
- Đấy là người thật.That's a real person.This sentence uses người to describe a real person.Tatoeba #13888124 by leucammieuvu, translation #402770 by FeuDRenais
- Cô ta là người xấu.She is a bad person.This sentence uses người to describe the character of a person.Tatoeba #13271070 by leucammieuvu, translation #1654062 by Spamster
- Hãy tôn trọng mỗi người xung quanh bạn.Respect every person around you.
- Con người là một sinh vật xã hội.A person is a social being.
- Mọi người cùng nhau nắm tay nhé!Let's all hold hands together!
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Mai are talking about a new neighbor in their apartment building.
- MinhNgười mới chuyển đến rất tốt bụng.The person who just moved in is very kind.
- MaiTôi cũng thấy người đó thân thiện.I also find that person friendly.
- MinhAnh ấy là một người thú vị.He is an interesting person.
- MaiĐúng vậy, anh ấy rất vui tính.That's right, he is very funny.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry người, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries người, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
