cháo
[t͡ɕaːw˧˦]
The English word porridge is cháo in Vietnamese.
In Vietnamese cuisine, cháo is often served as a savory dish with meat, fish or vegetables rather than a sweet breakfast cereal. A specific example is Cháo lòng, which is pork offal porridge typically flavored with ginger and fish sauce.
Meaning: breakfast cereal dish (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word cháo refers to a liquid-based rice or grain porridge, whereas cơm refers to cooked, solid rice.
Did you know?
- The word cháo is a linguistic relative of words for 'porridge' in the Chamic languages, such as the Tho language, reflecting ancient connections in Southeast Asia.
- A common accompaniment to cháo is 'quẩy', which are deep-fried strips of dough used for dipping into the porridge.
- Because cháo is highly liquid, it is often the first solid food given to sick people or infants in Vietnam to ensure easy digestion.
Examples in context
- Bát cháo này nóng quá.The porridge is too hot.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of the cháo.Tatoeba #13351069 by leucammieuvu, translation #12052735 by Amastan
- Tôi muốn ăn cháoI want to eat porridge
- Xin cho tôi một tô cháoPlease give me a bowl of porridge
- Tôi muốn ăn cháo vào buổi sáng.I want to eat porridge in the morning.
- Mẹ đang nấu cháo thịt bằm.Mom is cooking minced meat porridge.
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are deciding what to eat for breakfast.
- MinhLan ơi, sáng nay ăn gì nhỉ?Lan, what should we eat this morning?
- LanEm muốn ăn một bát cháo.I want to eat a bowl of porridge.
- MinhAnh cũng thích ăn cháo đấy.I like eating porridge too.
- LanVậy chúng ta cùng đi ăn nhé.Then let's go eat together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “porridge” translations and entries cháo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cháo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
