フォー
fō[ɸo̞ː]
The Japanese word for the Vietnamese soup pho is フォー (fō).
フォー refers to the Vietnamese noodle soup known as pho.
Meaning: Vietnamese soup (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is fō.
Did you know?
- The word フォー is a homophone for the English word 'four'. Because of this, Japanese people sometimes create puns or wordplay involving the number four when discussing this soup.
- Despite being a Vietnamese dish, the way 'pho' is pronounced in Japanese emphasizes the long 'o' sound, masking the original Vietnamese tone.
- In some Japanese contexts, フォー is used as a shorthand to describe any Vietnamese rice noodle soup, even if it is not technically a traditional 'pho'.
Examples in context
- フォーを食べたいです。Fō o tabetai desu.I want to eat pho.
- このフォーはとても美味しいです。Kono fō wa totemo oishii desu.This pho is very delicious.
- 近くにフォーの店があります。Chikaku ni fō no mise ga arimasu.There is a pho shop nearby.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 陽葵 Himari今日のランチはフォーにしませんか？Kyō no ranchi wa fō ni shimasen ka?Shall we have pho for lunch today?
- 蓮 Renいいですね。大好きです。Ii desu ne. Daisuki desu.That sounds good. I love it.
- 陽葵 Himariあそこのレストランのフォーは有名ですよ。Asoko no resutoran no fō wa yūmei desu yo.The pho at that restaurant is famous, you know.
- 蓮 Renじゃあ、そこへ行きましょう！Ja, soko e ikimashō!Then, let's go there!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pho” translations and entries フォー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
