Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| tiếng Việt | [tiəŋ˧˦ viət̚˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥ viək̚˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
| tiếng Việt Nam | [tiəŋ˧˦ viət̚˧˨ʔ naːm˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥ viək̚˨˩ʔ naːm˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| Việt ngữ | [viət̚˧˨ʔ ŋɨ˦ˀ˥] (Hà Nội, narrow) [viək̚˨˩ʔ ŋɨ˧˨] (Huế, narrow) |
| tiếng Kinh | [tiəŋ˧˦ kïŋ˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tiəŋ˦˧˥ kɨn˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The term is used to refer to the Vietnamese language. It can also be used in related forms to describe someone from Vietnam, such as người Việt or người Việt Nam (Vietnamese person) or as an adjective, such as Việt or (thuộc) Việt Nam (of or pertaining to Vietnam).
What does it mean word for word?
The term tiếng Việt is composed of tiếng, meaning language or sound and Việt, referring to the Viet ethnic group.
Which one should you use?
tiếng Việt is the standard way to refer to the language. In contrast, tiếng Việt Nam specifically emphasizes the language of the nation of Vietnam. tiếng Kinh is used to specify the language of the Kinh ethnic group, often to distinguish it from the languages of other ethnic minorities within Vietnam.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Việt ngữ is a more formal, literary term for the Vietnamese language. When referring to people, người Việt and người Việt Nam are formal ways to denote a person from Vietnam, with người Việt Nam acting as a formal term for the Vietnamese people as a whole.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Vietnam, the term Người Miền Nam can be used to refer to Vietnamese people specifically from Southern Vietnam.
Related words
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use Việt Nam (the country) to refer to the language. Instead, use tiếng Việt when talking about the language itself.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Tiếng Việt rất dễ học.Vietnamese is very easy to learn.Tatoeba #1552516 by trieuho, translation #1552518 by trieuho
- Tôi đang học tiếng Việt.I'm learning Vietnamese.Tatoeba #3320915 by trieuho, translation #5829439 by mailohilohi
- Bạn có thể tự học tiếng Việt.You can teach yourself Vietnamese.Tatoeba #1552515 by trieuho, translation #1552517 by trieuho
- Xin chào! Bạn là người Việt Nam hả?Hello! Are you Vietnamese?
- Đúng vậy, tôi là người Việt Nam.That's right, I am Vietnamese.
- Chúc may mắn!Good luck!
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hương and Tuấn are talking about their language skills at a cafe.
- HươngAnh nói tiếng Việt không?Do you speak Vietnamese?
- TuấnTôi nói tiếng Việt một chút.I speak Vietnamese a little bit.
- HươngTiếng Việt của anh rất tốt.Your Vietnamese is very good.
- TuấnCảm ơn Hương, tôi vẫn đang học.Thank you, Huong, I am still learning.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vietnamese” translations and entries tiếng Việt, tiếng Việt Nam, Việt ngữ, tiếng Kinh, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Nam, Việt, nam, tiếng, tiếng Việt, tiếng Việt Nam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
