nước ngọt
[nɨək̚˧˦ ŋɔt̚˧˨ʔ]
In Vietnamese, soda is called nước ngọt.
nước ngọt is the general term used for any carbonated soft drink or soda. To specifically differentiate non-alcoholic carbonated drinks, you can use nước ngọt có gas.
Meaning: sweet, carbonated drink (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase nước ngọt is composed of nước (water) and ngọt (sweet), literally meaning "sweet water".
Which one should you use?
While nước ngọt refers to sweet carbonated drinks, nước suối refers to plain spring or mineral water. Additionally, the loanword soda is sometimes used in urban areas to refer specifically to plain carbonated water or certain soda-flavored drinks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many urban areas, Vietnamese speakers may use the loanword soda to refer to plain carbonated water or specific soda-flavored drinks.
Did you know?
- Vietnamese uses the word 'nước' to mean both 'water' and 'country', which can lead to funny linguistic coincidences if not used carefully.
- The word nước descends from a root found in several language families, including Sanskrit daka and Khmer tik.
- The term nước ngọt can be used to describe any 'sweet water', which sometimes includes non-carbonated fruit drinks.
Examples in context
- Xin vui lòng cho tôi một ly nước ngọtCould you please give me a glass of soda?
- Tôi muốn uống một chai nước ngọt.I want to drink a bottle of soda.
- Anh ấy không thích uống nước ngọt.He does not like drinking soda.
Example conversation
Lan and Tuấn are at a convenience store.
- LanTuấn ơi, bạn có muốn mua nước ngọt không?Tuấn, do you want to buy some soda?
- TuấnCó, mình muốn mua một lon nước ngọt.Yes, I want to buy a can of soda.
- LanVậy mình lấy nước ngọt cho bạn nhé.Then I will get the soda for you.
- TuấnCảm ơn Lan nhé.Thanks, Lan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soda” translations and entries nước ngọt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ngọt, nước, nước ngọt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
