thứ ba
[tʰɨ˧˦ ʔɓaː˧˧]
Tuesday is thứ ba in Vietnamese.
Meaning: day of the week (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'the third' because Vietnamese counts the days of the week starting from Monday as thứ hai (the second).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English where Monday is the first day, in Vietnamese, Monday is thứ Hai (the second), making Tuesday thứ Ba (the third).
How does it change in a sentence?
While thứ ba is the standard way to write it, the word ba is often capitalized as Ba when referring specifically to the day of the week in formal writing.
Did you know?
- The Vietnamese names for the days of the week are a 'calque' of the Portuguese system. thứ ba specifically mimics the Portuguese word terça-feira, which also means 'third weekday'.
- The construction of the weekday relies on the Sino-Vietnamese concept of ordinal sequencing rather than a unique name for the planet or deity.
- The numbering system used in thứ ba creates a potential for confusion with ordinal numbers used in other contexts, as thứ ba can simply mean 'the third' in any sequence.
Examples in context
- Hôm qua là thứ Ba.Yesterday was Tuesday.This sentence shows how to refer to Tuesday in the past tense using thứ ba.Tatoeba #6207666 by letuananh, translation #6203842 by Jesse
- Hôm nay là thứ Ba.It is Tuesday.This sentence shows how to state that today is thứ ba.Tatoeba #13340915 by leucammieuvu, translation #5628578 by mailohilohi
- Ngày mai là thứ Ba.Tomorrow is Tuesday.This sentence shows how to refer to Tuesday in the future tense using thứ ba.Tatoeba #6207670 by letuananh, translation #6203824 by Jesse
- Hôm nay là thứ ba rồi!Today is already Tuesday!
- Chúng ta hẹn gặp vào thứ ba tuần sau.Let's meet on Tuesday next week.
- Thứ ba là ngày tôi thích nhất trong tuần.Tuesday is my favorite day of the week.
- Tôi đi học vào thứ ba và thứ năm hàng tuần.I go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week.
- Hôm nay thứ ba, chúng ta đi chơi đi!Today is Tuesday, let's go play!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their meeting schedule.
- MinhThứ ba tuần sau bạn rảnh không?Are you free next tuesday?
- MaiThứ ba mình bận rồi.I am busy on tuesday.
- MinhVậy thứ tư được không?Then is wednesday okay?
- MaiThứ tư thì được nhé.Wednesday works for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Tuesday” translations and entries thứ ba, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ba, thứ, thứ ba, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
