gái tây
[ɣaːj˧˦ təj˧˧]word by word
The Vietnamese phrase for 'white girl' is gái tây.
This phrase is used to refer to a young woman of European descent.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term gái tây is an informal way to refer to a white girl and can sometimes carry a slightly objectifying or casual tone depending on context. For a more formal expression, you should use cô gái da trắng, which means 'white-skinned girl'.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese, the term tây is often applied to any person from a non-Asian developed country, regardless of their actual skin color.
- While gái tây describes a person, the word tây is also used as a prefix for 'modern' or 'luxurious' items, such as 'Western-style' furniture or fashion.
- The component tây is a Sino-Vietnamese loanword derived from the Chinese character for 'West' (西).
Examples in context
- Đây là cô gái da trắng mà tôi đã đề cập đến.This is the white-skinned girl I mentioned.
- Tôi muốn làm quen với gái tây.I want to get to know a white girl.
Example conversation
Tuấn and Chi are walking in the city center.
- TuấnChi nhìn kìa, một gái tây dễ thương quá!Chi look, that white girl is so cute!
- ChiĐúng rồi, cô ấy trông rất thân thiện.True, she looks very friendly.
- TuấnAnh muốn ra chào hỏi cô ấy.I want to go say hello to her.
- ChiTuấn đừng ngại, cứ thử xem sao.Tuấn, don't be shy, just give it a try.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (gái, tây) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gái, tây, CC BY-SA 4.0.
