sở thú
[səː˧˩ tʰu˧˦]
The English word zoo is translated into Vietnamese as sở thú. Wiktionary also lists thảo cầm viên and vườn thú.
Meaning: park where live animals are exhibited (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| sở thú | [səː˧˩ tʰu˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʂəː˧˨ tʰʊw˨˩˦] (Huế, narrow) |
| thảo cầm viên | [tʰaːw˧˩ kəm˨˩ viən˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [tʰaːw˧˨ kəm˦˩ viəŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
| vườn thú | [vɨən˨˩ tʰu˧˦] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
All three forms refer to a park where live animals are exhibited.
What does it mean word for word?
vườn thú is a compound of vườn (garden) and thú (animal/beast). sở thú is a compound of sở (institution/office/department) and thú (animal/beast).
Which one should you use?
sở thú is the most common way to refer to a zoo in everyday conversation. vườn thú is a common synonym for sở thú, often used to emphasize the park-like or garden setting. thảo cầm viên is a more formal or administrative term often used for large, established botanical gardens that also house a zoo.
Did you know?
- The term sở thú may have originated as a colloquial nickname specifically for the Saigon Zoo before becoming the general word for any zoo in Vietnam.
- The word viên in thảo cầm viên is a linguistic relative of the Japanese 'yen' and the Korean 'won'.
Examples in context
- Tôi đã tới vườn thú.I went to the zoo.This sentence shows how to use vườn thú to express visiting a zoo.Tatoeba #724154 by autuno, translation #259713 by CK
- Ở sở thú có gấu mèo.There are raccoons at the zoo.This sentence shows how to use sở thú to describe animals located at the zoo.Tatoeba #13477329 by Dominicus_Ng_03, translation #10450251 by DJ_Saidez
- Tôi đã đi sở thú hôm quaI went to the zoo yesterday.This sentence shows how to use sở thú to express having visited the zoo in the past.Tatoeba #12560381 by thanhcona40, translation #1876 by Swift
- Chúng ta đi thăm sở thú vào cuối tuần này.Let's visit the zoo this weekend.
- Hôm nay, tôi đã đi chơi vườn thú.Today, I went to visit the zoo.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Nam are deciding where to go this weekend.
- ChiChúng ta đi sở thú nhé?Shall we go to the zoo?
- NamÝ hay đấy, Chi.That's a good idea, Chi.
- ChiNam muốn xem con gì ở sở thú?What animal does Nam want to see at the zoo?
- NamAnh muốn xem hươu cao cổ.I want to see the giraffes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zoo” translations and entries sở thú, thảo cầm viên, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (vườn, thú) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cầm, sở thú, thảo, thảo cầm viên, viên, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
