bí ngô
In Vietnamese, pumpkin is called bí ngô. Wiktionary also lists bí đỏ.
Meaning: fruit of this plant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| bí ngô | |
| bí đỏ | [ʔɓi˧˦ ʔɗɔ˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓɪj˨˩˦ ʔɗɔ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
Both bí ngô and bí đỏ are used to refer to the fruit of the pumpkin plant.
What does it mean word for word?
In the term bí ngô, bí refers to the general category of gourds or squashes, while ngô means corn. In the term bí đỏ, đỏ means red.
Which one should you use?
'Bí ngô' is the standard term for pumpkin used widely in Northern Vietnam. 'Bí đỏ' is a common alternative that is often used to specifically describe the orange-fleshed variety.
Is it said differently in some regions?
'Bí ngô' is used widely in Northern Vietnam. In Southern Vietnam, 'bí đỏ' is a common alternative. Additionally, in central and southern Vietnam, 'bí' is a commonly used term for pumpkin.
Did you know?
- The word bí is a homonym in Vietnamese, appearing as a Sino-Vietnamese word meaning 'secret' or 'mysterious' from the character 秘.
- While English speakers use 'red' for many things, in Vietnamese, the term bí đỏ uses the word for 'red' specifically to highlight the fruit's bright orange flesh.
Examples in context
- Các loại rau củ, rau xanh thì được nuôi trồng tại vườn, ví dụ như xà lách, bắp cải, hành tây, tỏi, bầu bí, các loại củ cải, rau mùi tây, dưa chuột và bí đỏ.Greens and vegetables grow in gardens, such as lettuce, cabbage, onions, garlic, gourd, parsnip, turnip, radish, horse radish, parsley, cucumbers and pumpkin.This sentence is useful for listing various vegetables, including bí đỏ.Tatoeba #12006995 by dotheduyet1999, translation #7311445 by jimkillock
- Cho tôi một món ăn có bí đỏ, xin cám ơn!Please give me a dish with pumpkin, thank you!
- Tôi muốn mua một quả bí ngô.I want to buy a pumpkin.
- Món súp này làm từ bí ngô.This soup is made from pumpkin.
Example conversation
At a local food market.
- ChiAnh Minh ơi, quả bí ngô này bao nhiêu tiền?Minh, how much is this pumpkin?
- MinhNăm mươi nghìn đồng một quả, Chi ạ.It is fifty thousand dong per pumpkin, Chi.
- ChiVậy tôi lấy một quả nhé.Then I will take one.
- MinhĐược, để tôi gói cho cô.Okay, let me wrap it for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pumpkin” translations and entries bí đỏ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bí, bí đỏ, đỏ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
