nghèo
[ŋɛw˨˩]
In Vietnamese, the English phrase 'poor' is expressed as nghèo. Wiktionary also lists khó.
Meaning: with few or no possessions or money (adj)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| nghèo | [ŋɛw˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ŋɛw˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
| khó | [xɔ˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kʰɔ˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
The word nghèo describes someone or something with few or no possessions or money. To emphasize a state of misery or extreme poverty, you can use the compound form nghèo khổ. For a formal way to refer to extreme destitution, the word bần cùng is used.
Which one should you use?
Nghèo is a direct and blunt way to state a lack of wealth. In contrast, khó literally means 'difficult', but it is often used colloquially as a softer, more euphemistic way to describe someone who is struggling financially. Use nghèo khổ when you want to emphasize that the poverty is extreme.
Did you know?
- The word khó has a distant relative in the Chamic language, specifically the word kʰɔː³, showing its deep linguistic history in the region.
- The word khổ inside the phrase nghèo khổ is actually a cognate of the word for 'bitter' or 'suffering' in many contexts.
- In Vietnamese social etiquette, using the word nghèo to describe someone can be perceived as a direct insult, whereas khó acts as a polite social buffer.
Examples in context
- Cô ấy không nghèo.She's not poor.Tatoeba #5066483 by GiruVogel, translation #5062382 by AlanF_US
- Đó là một đất nước nghèo.It was a poor country.Tatoeba #13581079 by leucammieuvu, translation #13580201 by rul
- Tại sao chúng ta lại nghèo?Why are we poor?Tatoeba #13769778 by leucammieuvu, translation #5001380 by CK
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nam and Lan are talking about a documentary they watched.
- NamBộ phim này kể về những người nghèo.This movie is about poor people.
- LanCuộc sống của họ vất vả quá.Their lives are so hard.
- NamChúng ta nên giúp đỡ họ, Lan.We should help them, Lan.
- LanEm đồng ý với anh, Nam.I agree with you, Nam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poor” translations and entries nghèo, khó, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries khó, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
