ngọt
[ŋɔt̚˧˨ʔ]
The Vietnamese word for sweet is ngọt.
ngọt is used to describe the literal pleasant taste of sweetness in food or drink. You can modify the intensity of this taste using different phrases: Rất ngọt means very sweet, Siêu ngọt means super sweet and Cực kỳ ngọt means extremely sweet. If you want to describe something as sweet in a metaphorical sense, such as a sweet voice or a sweet gesture, you would use a different term.
Meaning: having a pleasant taste (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use ngọt when referring to the literal taste of something. For metaphorical sweetness, such as a sweet voice or a sweet gesture, use the term ngọt ngào instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something is 'too sweet' in a way that might be overwhelming, add the particle quá after ngọt to form ngọt quá.
Did you know?
- The word ngọt can be used to describe a clean and precise cut, such as when a sharp knife slices through fabric or paper without resistance.
- The phrase nói ngọt literally means 'speaking sweet' and is commonly used to describe the act of flattering someone to get a desired result.
- To describe a sophisticated, mild sweetness, Vietnamese speakers combine ngọt with dịu to form the phrase ngọt dịu.
Examples in context
- Bánh có vị ngọt.The cake is sweet.This sentence shows how to use ngọt to describe the taste of a cake.Tatoeba #11319162 by mqd, translation #13723935 by an_hien
- Cái này ngọt quá.This is too sweet.This sentence demonstrates how to use the particle quá with ngọt to say something is too sweet.Tatoeba #13896360 by leucammieuvu, translation #13891171 by frpzzd
- Bánh này rất ngọt.This cake is very sweet.This sentence shows how to use ngọt to indicate that a cake is very sweet.Tatoeba #11452751 by chaule3, translation #61169 by jakov
- Bánh này thật ngon, rất ngọt!This cake is delicious, very sweet!
- Nước trái cây này ngọt tự nhiênThis fruit juice is naturally sweet.
- Em bé này thật dễ thương!This baby is so sweet/cute!
- Câu chuyện đó rất dễ thươngThat story is very sweet/charming.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tuấn and Mai are sharing a dessert at a cafe.
- TuấnMón tráng miệng này ngọt quá!This dessert is so sweet!
- MaiThật sao? Em thấy nó vừa miệng.Really? I find it to be just right.
- TuấnChắc tại vì anh không thích đồ ngọt.It is probably because I do not like sweet things.
- MaiVậy anh hãy uống thêm trà đi.Then you should drink more tea.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweet” translations and entries ngọt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
