cá voi
[kaː˧˦ vɔj˧˧]
The English word "whale" is translated into Vietnamese as cá voi. Wiktionary also lists cá ông and cá ông voi.
Meaning: large sea mammal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| cá voi | [kaː˧˦ vɔj˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kaː˨˩˦ vɔj˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| cá ông | [kaː˧˦ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kaː˨˩˦ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| cá ông voi | [kaː˧˦ ʔəwŋ͡m˧˧ vɔj˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| kình ngư | [kïŋ˨˩ ŋɨ˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kɨn˦˩ ŋɨ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The term refers to the large sea mammal.
What does it mean word for word?
The term cá voi literally translates to "fish whale", reflecting the common Vietnamese practice of using the word cá (fish) for many aquatic animals.
Which one should you use?
Use cá voi for the general biological term, whereas cá ông is used when expressing reverence or within a cultural/spiritual context. The form cá ông voi and the term kình ngư are also available forms of the word.
When do people say it?
cá ông is a respectful term used by coastal communities in Vietnam to refer to whales, often treating them as protective deities.
Did you know?
- The term cá voi literally means 'fish elephant', combining the word for fish and the word for elephant to describe the creature's massive size.
- In many Vietnamese coastal communities, whales are not just animals but are addressed as cá ông, which translates to 'Grandfather Fish' or 'Lord Fish'.
Examples in context
- Cá voi là một loài động vật có vú khổng lồ sống ở biển.The whale is a very large mammal which lives in the sea.The sentence is useful for defining a whale as a giant mammal living in the sea using cá voi.Tatoeba #9016063 by dotheduyet1999, translation #238452 by CK
- Cá voi là một loài động vật có vú khổng lồ sống ở đại dương.The whale is a very large mammal that lives in the sea.The sentence is useful for stating that a whale is a giant mammal living in the ocean using cá voi.Tatoeba #9016064 by dotheduyet1999, translation #9768187 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minh and Lan are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- MinhNhìn kìa, con cá voi đang bơi!Look, there is a whale swimming!
- LanNó trông thật to lớn và đẹp.It looks so big and beautiful.
- MinhBạn có thích loài cá voi không?Do you like whales?
- LanCó, mình rất thích chúng.Yes, I like them very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whale” translations and entries cá voi, cá ông, kình ngư, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cá, ông, voi) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cá, cá voi, cá ông, kình, kình ngư, voi, ông, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
