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bạn

Level ≈A1 (approx.) pronounnounverb Sino-Vietnamese Top 1,000 most common
Hanoi [ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ]Huế [ʔɓaːŋ˨˩ʔ]Saigon [ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˨] browser voice
Syllables · tones
bạnheavynặng

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

bạn means you (friend, peer); friend.

Chinese characters: 伴

Meanings of bạn in English

Pronoun

  1. you, a young person in their twenties
    • Chào bạn. Bạn là sinh viên năm thứ mấy ạ?Hi. What year are you in?
  2. you, an unspecified person viewing a work; compare ông (“you, a middle-aged or older man”), bà (“you, a middle-aged or older woman”), anh (“you, a reasonably young man”) and chị (“you, a reasonably young woman”)
    • Đó là tôi. Chắc bạn muốn biết làm sao mà tôi lại rơi vào tình huống này.That is me. You might be wondering how I ended up in this situation.
    • Bạn và tôi, chúng ta hãy cùng chung tay bảo vệ ngôi nhà xanh này.You and me, let's protect this green home of ours together.
    • Bạn vừa thích tin nhắn từ lolly70.You liked a message from lolly70.
  3. Southern Vietnam you, a peer of the speaker
    • Bạn cho mình hỏi Quận 1 đi đường nào.Could you show me the way to District 1?

Noun

  1. a friend, mate, buddy, ally, etc. ≈ bạn bèbằng hữu
    • bạn cùng lớp/trường/phònga class/school/roommate
    • an toàn là bạn, tai nạn là thùsafety is your friend, accidents your foes

Verb

  1. literary, obsolete to revolt against; to oppose the higher power

Words with bạn

bạn bèbạn đọcbạn đờibạn gáibạn hữubạn thânbạn traibầu bạnkết bạn

Synonyms and antonyms of bạn

Antonyms

tôimình

Example sentences with bạn

  • bạn làm gì ở đây thế ? What are you doing here?
  • Cô ấy là em gái bạn à? Is she your sister?
  • Bạn sẽ về nhà và ở nhà. You'll go home and stay home.
  • Bạn đã rửa xe ô tô chưa? Have you washed the car yet?
  • Cô ấy là bạn của vợ tôi. She is a friend of my wife's.
  • Bạn nghĩ cô ấy ở với ai? Who do you think she lives with?
  • Bạn nghĩ bà ấy ở với ai? Who do you think she lives with?
  • Tom hy vọng bạn sẽ ở đó. Tom hopes you'll be there.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Usage note: bạn

bạn means "friend", and it is also the textbook word for "you". In real life, how far does that second meaning go?

  • As "friend": Đây là bạn tôi. — This is my friend. bạn trai / bạn gái = boyfriend / girlfriend.
  • As "you" between peers, especially young people meeting for the first time: Bạn tên gì? — What's your name?
  • As a general "you" in ads, instructions and websites: Bạn muốn tìm từ nào? — Which word do you want to look up?

The limit: bạn assumes equal status. Saying it to someone clearly older, to a teacher, or to a shop owner of your parents' age sounds as if you are treating them as a peer, which can feel disrespectful.

✗ To a 50-year-old taxi driver: Bạn có biết đường không? → ✓ Chú có biết đường không ạ?

Plural: các bạn = you all. Remember bạn has a heavy tone; bán is "to sell" and bàn is "table".

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 伴.

Frequently asked questions

What does bạn mean in English?

bạn (pronoun) means "you (friend, peer); friend".

How do you pronounce bạn?

IPA: Hanoi [ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˨]. Tones: bạn — heavy tone (nặng).

Is bạn a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. bạn is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 伴.

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.