In Vietnamese the word " chào " has the same meaning as the word "hello" in Indonesian. However, you should not just use the word " chào " when greeting someone in Vietnamese. This language has various rules regarding how to greet someone based on age, gender, and familiarity. Therefore, you must adhere to these rules to greet properly.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Basic Greetings
Step 1. Say " xin chào " as a general greeting
If you only want to learn one Vietnamese greeting, " xin chào " is the best.
- Here's how to pronounce " xin chào ": sin jow
- The word " chào " has the same meaning as the word "hello" in Indonesian. However, this word is usually combined with other words that are used based on familiarity, age, and gender of the interlocutor.
- Adding " xin " in front of " chào " makes the greeting even more polite. Native Vietnamese speakers usually use this greeting when addressing an older person or person they admire. However, non-native speakers can use this phrase as a polite way to say "hello" to anyone if they don't know the exact ending.
Step 2. Say " chào bạn " if your age is not that far from the other person's age
If you're not that much older than the person you're talking to, it's a good idea to greet them by saying " chào bạn." This phrase is the most appropriate greeting.
- Here's how to pronounce " chào bạn ": jow bahn
- The word " chào " has the same meaning as the word "hello" in Indonesian, and the word " bạn " has the same meaning as the word "you". Note that the word " tire " is an informal word. Therefore, it is best not to use this word when addressing an older person or someone you must respect.
- This phrase can be used to address both men and women. You can also use this phrase to greet people you know well regardless of their age and gender.
Step 3. Say " chào anh " or " chào chị " when greeting parents
Say " chào anh " to greet older men and say " chào chị " to greet older women.
- Here's how to pronounce " chào anh ": jow ahn
- Here's how to pronounce " chào chị ": jow jee
- The word " anh " and the word " chị " have the same meaning as the word "you" in Indonesian. These two words are polite pronouns (a variety of respect). The word " anh " is used when the other person is a man and the word " chị " is used when the person speaking is a woman.
- Note that this phrase is rarely used to address people who are younger or of the same age as you.
Step 4. Say " chào em " to greet younger people
If you are talking to someone who is younger than you, the most appropriate greeting is " chào em."
- Here's how to pronounce " chào em ": jow ehm
- This phrase can be used to address both men and women.
- Do not use this greeting to address people who are older or of the same age as you.
Step 5. Say the name if the situation allows
If you are familiar with someone, you can combine the word " chào " with the name of the other person.
- If the other person's age isn't much different from yours or you're very familiar with the person you're talking to, you can omit the "you" from the greeting and just say his or her name. However, if you are not familiar with the other person or if the person you are talking to is older or younger, you should use the correct "you" pronoun.
- For example, if you're talking to a close female friend named Hien, you might say "cho Hien." If Hien is older than you, you should say " chào chị Hien." If he is younger than you, say " chào em Hien."
- Note that you must use the other person's first name when greeting him, not his or her surname, regardless of their familiarity, age, or gender.
Part 2 of 2: Additional Greetings
Step 1. Say " -lô " to answer a phone call
When answering a phone call, the usual way to greet the caller is to say " -lô ".
- Here's how to pronounce " -lô ": ah-loh
- This greeting is used when the phone does not yet have a feature to display the identity of the caller. Therefore, people cannot find out the identity of the caller when answering a phone call. Thus, the pronoun "you" is rarely used with this phrase.
- While this greeting is great for answering phone calls, it's best not to use it when you're face-to-face with the person you're talking to.
Step 2. Learn the greetings used at certain times
Although this greeting is not used very often, other people may use it to greet you.
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The following greetings are used at certain times:
- Good morning: "cho buổi sáng" (pronounced: jow booh-ee shang)
- Good afternoon: " chào buổi chiều " (how to pronounce it: jow booh-ee jeeh-oo)
- Good evening: " chào buổi tối " (how to pronounce it: jow booh-ee doy)
- In most situations, you should not use this greeting. Saying " chào " along with the proper pronouns will suffice to greet other people.
- However, if someone uses one of these greetings to greet you, it's a good idea to reply with the same greeting as well.
Step 3. Say " khỏe không " to ask how the other person is doing
After greeting the other person, you can ask how someone is doing by saying " khỏe không ?"
- Here's how to pronounce "khỏe không": kweah kohng
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Literally the phrase “khỏe không” means “healthy or not?” You can just use this phrase to ask how someone is doing. However, it's a good idea to add the correct "you" pronoun according to the gender of the other person in front of the phrase: " bạn " is used if the age of the other person is not much different from your age, " anh " is used if the other person is a man who is older than you. old, " chị " is used if the person speaking is an older woman, and " em " is used if the person is younger.
For example, if the person you are speaking to is an older man, say " anh khỏe không ?" to ask how he was
Step 4. Answer other people's questions about your health
When someone says " khỏe không ?" to you, there are several ways to reply. In general, " Khoẻ, cảm n " is a good reply.
- Here's how to pronounce " Khoẻ, cảm n ": kweah, gam uhhn
- When the phrase “Khoẻ, cảm n” is translated into Indonesian, it means "I am healthy, thank you."
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When someone says this phrase to you, you can return the greeting by saying the same phrase (" khỏe không ?") or saying " Ban thi sao ?" which means "And you?"
Here's how to pronounce "ban thi sao": ban ty sao
Step 5. Greet someone by saying " chào mừng
"When someone visits your home, work, residence, or attends an event, you can greet them by saying " chào mừng ". Translated into Indonesian, this phrase means "welcome."
- Here's how to pronounce " chào mừng ": jow munn
- The word " mừng " in this phrase means "congratulations". Thus, when you say " chào mừng ", you are basically saying "welcome."
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It's a good idea to add the proper "you" pronouns to this greeting: " bạn " is used if the other person's age is not much different from yours, " anh " is used if the other person is an older man, " chị " is used if the other person is an older woman, and " em " is used if the person you are talking to is younger than you.
For example, if the other person's age is not that far from yours, say " chào mừng bạn."
Warning
- Show respect by using appropriate body language. When greeting someone, it's a good idea to shake their hand with both hands and slightly lower your head. If the other person does not extend his hand, you can simply bow to salute him.
- Intonation is important in using Vietnamese. Thus, you must pronounce the words correctly. Different phrases can produce different meanings if they are pronounced in certain ways. Listen to how native Vietnamese speakers speak or watch a guide video that talks about using the Vietnamese language. After that, practice and practice the greetings listed in this article before using them to greet Vietnamese people.
