越南河粉
Yuènán héfěn
The English phrase 'pho' is translated into Chinese as 越南河粉 (Yuènán héfěn). If unsure, use 越南河粉. Wiktionary also lists 越南粉 (Yuènán fěn).
Meaning: Vietnamese soup (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 越南河粉 | Yuènán héfěn |
| 越南粉 | Yuènán fěn |
This term refers to the Vietnamese soup known as pho.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 越南河粉 literally means 'Vietnam rice noodle soup'. The component 河粉 refers specifically to the flat rice noodles used in the dish.
Which one should you use?
越南粉 is a general term for Vietnamese noodles, whereas 越南河粉 specifically identifies the flat rice noodle variety characteristic of pho.
How do you pronounce it?
Yuènán héfěn
Did you know?
- The character 粉 originally referred to 'powder', because rice noodles are made from a paste or powder of ground rice.
- While 'pho' is the name of the dish in Vietnamese, in Chinese, the term 河粉 is often used for any wide, flat rice noodle regardless of the country of origin.
- If you only ask for 粉 (fěn), you might receive thin rice vermicelli instead of the wide noodles characteristic of pho.
Examples in context
- 我想吃越南河粉。Wǒ xiǎng chī Yuènán héfěn.I want to eat Vietnamese pho.
- 这家店的越南河粉很出名。Zhè jiā diàn de Yuènán héfěn hěn chūmíng.This shop's pho is very famous.
- 你喜欢吃越南河粉吗？Nǐ xǐhuān chī Yuènán héfěn ma?Do you like eating Vietnamese pho?
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 佳怡 Jiayi浩然，我们去吃越南河粉吧。Hàorán, wǒmen qù chī Yuènán héfěn ba.Haoran, let's go eat Vietnamese pho.
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，我正好很想吃。Hǎo a, wǒ zhènghǎo hěn xiǎng chī.Okay, I happen to be craving it.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那家店的越南河粉味道不错。Nà jiā diàn de Yuènán héfěn wèidào bùcuò.The pho at that shop tastes good.
- 浩然 Haoran那就走吧！Nà jiù zǒu ba!Then let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pho” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
