Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| mỏng | [mawŋ͡m˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [mawŋ͡m˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
| mảnh | [majŋ̟˧˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [mɛɲ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
mỏng is used to describe the thickness of inanimate objects, such as paper, books or slices of bread. For example, Mảnh khảnh is used to describe a person who is slim and slender, signifying an elegant and delicate physique. Gầy gò highlights a thinness that is noticeable or pronounced, while the informal gầy nhom is a colloquial way to say someone is skinny.
Which one should you use?
The two forms are used for different types of thinness. Use mỏng to describe the physical thickness of inanimate objects. Use mảnh to describe things that are thin in a delicate, slender or fine way, such as a thin branch or a slender waist.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using mỏng to describe a thin person, as this is an error. To describe a person's weight, you should use gầy or ốm instead.
Did you know?
- In Northern Vietnam, ốm means 'thin', but in the South, ốm means 'sick'. Using this word to describe someone's weight in Ho Chi Minh City could cause a significant misunderstanding.
- Vietnamese often doubles adjectives for emphasis, so saying mỏng mỏng suggests something is 'somewhat thin' rather than 'very thin'.
- The phrase mỏng manh is a common compound used to describe something that is not just physically thin, but also extremely fragile or vulnerable, like a blossom or a dream.
Examples in context
- Chúng ngắn và mỏng.They are short and thin.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of mỏng to describe objects.Tatoeba #10291515 by Alex_do, translation #305383 by CK
- Một cuốn sách thì mỏng, cuốn còn lại thì dày. Cuốn dày thì dày khoảng 200 trang.One book is thin. The other is thick. The thick one has about 200 pages.This sentence shows how to contrast a thin book with a thick one using mỏng.Tatoeba #9752675 by dotheduyet1999, translation #27207 by Luornu
- mỏng teVery thinThis phrase shows how to use mỏng to mean very thin.
- Thư là một cô gái mảnh khảnh với thân hình gợi cảm, nhưng vẫn rất duyên dáng.Thư is a slim and slender girl with an attractive figure, yet still very graceful.
- Mẹ tôi lúc nào cũng nói tôi gầy nhom nhưng tôi không thấy mình có vấn đề gì về cân nặng.My mom always says I'm skinny, but I don't think there's anything wrong with my weight.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mai and Minh are looking at a new smartphone in a shop.
- MaiĐiện thoại mới này trông rất mỏng.This new phone looks very thin.
- MinhĐúng vậy, nó rất nhẹ.That's right, it is very light.
- MaiAnh thấy nó có đẹp không?Do you think it looks beautiful?
- MinhNó rất sang trọng.It looks very elegant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thin” translations and entries mỏng, mảnh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
