chị or chị gái
In Vietnamese, the word for sister is chị or chị gái. Wiktionary also lists em gái and em.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| chị or chị gái | |
| em gái | [ʔɛm˧˧ ɣaːj˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛm˧˧ ɣaːj˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| em | [ʔɛm˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɛm˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
When talking about a sister in Vietnamese, you must distinguish whether the sister is older or younger than you. For an older sister, you use chị. For a younger sister, you use em gái.
What does it mean word for word?
In the term em gái, the word gái literally means female, specifying the sister is a girl.
Which one should you use?
Use chị to refer specifically to an older sister. Use em gái to refer specifically to a younger sister. The form em is a casual and endearing way to address a younger sister or someone younger than you.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Tôi không có em gái.I don't have a younger sister.The sentence is useful for stating that you do not have an em gái.Tatoeba #13769905 by leucammieuvu, translation #1183190 by Vortarulo
- Cô ấy là em gái bạn à?Is she your sister?The sentence is useful for asking if a person is someone's em gái.Tatoeba #5759599 by yippe, translation #310274 by CK
- Em gái tôi đã kết hôn.My sister got married.The sentence is useful for saying that one's em gái has gotten married.Tatoeba #13896388 by leucammieuvu, translation #13890967 by frpzzd
- Chị ơi, tối nay chúng ta đi xem phim nhé!Sis, let's go watch a movie tonight!
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries em gái, em, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chị, em, gái, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
