bài hát
[ʔɓaːj˨˩ haːt̚˧˦]
The Vietnamese word for song is bài hát. Wiktionary also lists ca and ca khúc.
Meaning: music with words (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bài hát | [ʔɓaːj˨˩ haːt̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʔɓaːj˦˩ haːk̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
|
| ca | [kaː˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kaː˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
literary |
| ca khúc | [kaː˧˧ xʊwk͡p̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kaː˧˧ kʰʊwk͡p̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
literary |
The term refers to music with words, or a song.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase bài hát, bài is a classifier used for many types of structured or written works and hát means to sing.
Which one should you use?
bài hát is the most common, everyday way to say song, whereas ca khúc is used in professional music contexts or to refer to a musical composition.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ca khúc and ca are more literary and formal options.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to a specific song as a noun, you must use the classifier bài before hát.
Did you know?
- The word bài used in bài hát actually traces its origins back to the Chinese character for 'card' or 'tablet'.
- The term ca can be found in various traditional art forms, such as hát ca trù, a complex form of sung poetry.
- Because Vietnamese is a tonal language, changing the tone of hát would completely change the meaning of the word.
Examples in context
- Ai hát bài hát đó?Who sings that song?This sentence is useful for asking who performs a particular bài hát.Tatoeba #13344264 by leucammieuvu, translation #687752 by lukaszpp
- Tụi tao biết bài hát này.We know this song.This sentence is useful for stating that a group knows a specific bài hát.Tatoeba #1574506 by trieuho, translation #427739 by witbrock
- Tôi đã hát một bài hát rất hay.I sang a beautiful song.This sentence is useful for describing the act of singing a beautiful bài hát.Tatoeba #10280430 by Alex_do, translation #9011749 by jaydenms
- Tôi yêu các bài hát của Vũ Cát Tường.I love the songs of Vũ Cát Tường.
- Chúng ta cùng hát một bài hát vui nhộn.Let's sing a fun song together.
- Tớ đang nghe một bài nhạc hay trên điện thoại.I am listening to a nice song on my phone.
- Em biết bài nhạc này không?Do you know this song?
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Mai are sitting in a cafe listening to the radio.
- TuấnBài hát này thật hay.This song is really good.
- MaiEm cũng thích bài hát đó.I like that song too.
- TuấnAnh biết ca sĩ này.I know this singer.
- MaiAnh có biết tên bài hát không?Do you know the name of the song?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “song” translations and entries bài hát, ca, ca khúc, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bài, bài hát, ca, hát, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
