hẹn gặp lại
[hɛn˧˨ʔ ɣap̚˧˨ʔ laːj˧˨ʔ]
The English phrase "see you later" is translated in Vietnamese as hẹn gặp lại. Wiktionary also lists gặp lại sau nhé.
Meaning: goodbye (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| hẹn gặp lại | [hɛn˧˨ʔ ɣap̚˧˨ʔ laːj˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [hɛŋ˨˩ʔ ɣap̚˨˩ʔ laːj˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
| gặp lại sau nhé | [ɣap̚˧˨ʔ laːj˧˨ʔ saw˧˧ ɲɛ˧˦] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
hẹn gặp lại is used when there is an expectation or a desire to meet the person again in the future, rather than serving as a final farewell.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase hẹn gặp lại literally breaks down into hẹn (to make an appointment or promise), gặp (to meet) and lại (again).
Which one should you use?
hẹn gặp lại is a standard way to say "see you again" and is more structured than gặp lại sau nhé, which is a colloquial way to say "see you later".
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle nhé can be added to the end of a phrase like hẹn gặp lại or gặp lại sau to make the goodbye sound more casual, friendly and gentle.
Did you know?
- While hẹn gặp lại is a polite way to say 'see you later', Vietnamese culture often uses specific kinship terms instead of a generic 'you' to avoid sounding cold.
- The word hẹn in hẹn gặp lại is a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of the Chinese character 限, which usually means 'limit' or 'deadline'.
- In very casual settings, Vietnamese speakers may omit the formal phrase hẹn gặp lại entirely and simply say bye using the English loanword.
Examples in context
- Hẹn gặp lại bạn nhé.I'll see you later.This sentence is useful for practicing the form hẹn gặp lại.Tatoeba #3121012 by loannguyenatc, translation #32706 by CK
- Hẹn gặp lại vào ngày mai.See you again tomorrow.
- Hẹn gặp lại mọi người.See you all later.
Example conversation
Hùng and Mai are leaving a coffee shop.
- HùngChào Mai, hẹn gặp lại nhé.Goodbye Mai, see you later.
- MaiChào Hùng, hẹn gặp lại anh.Goodbye Hùng, see you later.
- HùngĐi đường cẩn thận nhé.Drive safely.
- MaiCảm ơn anh, chào anh.Thank you, goodbye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see you later” translations and entries hẹn gặp lại, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (gặp, lại, sau, nhé) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gặp, hẹn, hẹn gặp lại, lại, sau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
