Counting to ten in Vietnamese
One to ten, for prices, platforms, rooms and how many beers. Play the ten Vietnamese words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Vietnamese phrases in this lesson
- Mộtmoht
- One
- Haihai
- Two
- Babah
- Three
- BốnBOHN
- Four
- Nămnahm
- Five
- SáuSHOW
- Six
- BảyBAY
- Seven
- TámTAHM
- Eight
- ChínCHIN
- Nine
- MườiMUH-ee
- Ten
Vietnamese numbers are regular and predictable, a relief after the tones. Objects take a classifier: "một cái" (one thing), "một người" (one person).
Also heard in the drinking chant "một, hai, ba, dô!" (one, two, three, in!).
In compounds after twenty it often becomes "tư" (tuh): hai mươi tư (24).
Năm also means year; context decides. After ten it often becomes "lăm" (lahm): mười lăm (15).
Twenty is "hai mươi", thirty "ba mươi". Hundred is "trăm", thousand "nghìn" in the North and "ngàn" in the South. Prices are in thousands, so "ba mươi nghìn" (30,000 dong) is a bowl of pho.