con trai
[kɔn˧˧ t͡ɕaːj˧˧]
con trai is the Vietnamese word for son.
con trai can refer specifically to one's biological son or more broadly to a young male child or boy in general contexts.
Meaning: a male person in relation to his parents (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of con, meaning child or offspring and trai, meaning male or boy.
Which one should you use?
While con trai is used for a son, the term con gái is used to mean daughter.
Did you know?
- Because con is used for both offspring and animals, using it incorrectly with certain nouns can change a person into an animal in a listener's mind.
- In Vietnamese culture, the eldest con trai traditionally carries the heaviest burden of ancestral worship and filial duties.
- The word con is shared across several unrelated language families, appearing as 'koun' in Khmer and 'khun' in Khasi.
Examples in context
- Con trai tôi sống ở Paris.My son lives in Paris.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe where your con trai lives.Tatoeba #13715089 by leucammieuvu, translation #13714258 by zogwarg
- Con trai của cô ấy đã chết.Her son is dead.This sentence is useful for expressing the death of her con trai.Tatoeba #13603205 by leucammieuvu, translation #13602973 by Babelball
- Con trai của anh ấy đã chết.His son is dead.This sentence is useful for expressing the death of his con trai.Tatoeba #13603207 by leucammieuvu, translation #13602972 by Babelball
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Tuấn are talking about their families.
- HươngAnh có con trai không?Do you have a son?
- TuấnCó, tôi có một con trai.Yes, I have one son.
- HươngCon trai anh bao nhiêu tuổi rồi?How old is your son now?
- TuấnCon trai tôi năm nay năm tuổi.My son is five years old this year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “son” translations and entries con trai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries con, con trai, trai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
