cha

Level ≈A1 (approx.) pronounnoun Top 1,000 most common

Hanoi [t͡ɕaː˧˧]Huế [t͡ɕaː˧˧]Saigon [caː˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

chalevelngang

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

cha means you; father.

Meanings of cha in English

Pronoun

you, father
dated, literary I/me, your father
dated, literary you, my father

Noun

Southern Vietnam, humorous dude ≈ bố cha nội
- Thôi dẹp đi cha!Stop it, dude!
dated, literary, otherwise Catholicism father ≈ ba bố thầy cậu tía áng

Words with cha

cha đẻ cha mẹ cha nội ông cha thằng cha cha cố cha ghẻ cha sở cha xứ

Example sentences with cha

Cha họ là một tài xế taxi. Their father is a taxi driver.
Tôi nhớ mẹ và cha của mình. I miss my mom and dad.
Tom chưa sẵn sàng để làm cha. Tom isn't ready to be a father.
Tom là một người cha tuyệt vời. Tom is an excellent father.
Con trai phải biết nghe lời cha. A son must obey his father.
Đây là áo của cha tôi. This is my father's shirt.
Cha tôi đã nói như vậy. My father said so.
Cha tôi bơi cực kỳ giỏi. My father swims very well.

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

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, cha could be written as 吒, 𤕔. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Compare Limchowese 吒 (zaa1, “father”).

Frequently asked questions

What does cha mean in English?

cha (pronoun) means "you; father".

How do you pronounce cha?

IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕaː˧˧]; Saigon [caː˧˧]. Tones: cha — level tone (ngang).

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.