chị
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
chị means you; my big sister.
Meanings of chị in English
Pronoun
- you, my big sister
- you, my female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to mine or my spouse's
- familiar you, a female who's (presumably) slightly older than me
- you, a young-adult woman
- you, the high schoolgirl reading this textbook ≈ anhem
- I/me, your big sister
- I/me, your female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's
- familiar I/me, a female who's (presumably) slightly older than you
- literary she/her, that admirable/lovable young-adult woman
Noun
- an elder sister ≈ chị gái
- a female cousin who's descended from an ancestor who is/was an older sibling to yours or your spouse's
- a female who's (presumably) slightly older than you or the person you're talking to
Words with chị
Example sentences with chị
- Con nên học theo chị con đi. Follow your sister's example.
- Mary không phải là chị của Tom. Mary is Tom's sister.
- Chị tôi không phải chị ruột tôi. My sister isn't my full sister.
- Bây giờ chị muốn cái gì? What do you want now?
- Mày học theo chị mày đi. Follow your sister's example.
- Chị có phải là Mary không? Are you Mary?
- George kết hôn với chị tôi. George married my sister.
- Tôi trông khác với chị tôi. I look different from my sister.
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, chị could be written as 姊, 姉, 肺. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.
Usage note: chị
chị literally means "older sister", but in daily life it is how you say "you" to a woman who is somewhat older than you, or a woman of about your age whom you want to treat politely.
- Chị tên là gì ạ? — What's your name? (to a woman a bit older)
- Chị ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền? — Excuse me, how much is this? (to a shop owner)
- She refers to herself as chị when talking to someone younger: Chị không biết, em hỏi anh kia nhé. — I don't know, ask that guy, OK?
chị ấy = she (an adult woman who is not old). In the South you will also hear chỉ (with a dipping tone) as a short form of chị ấy: Chỉ đi rồi. — She's gone.
✗ Calling a woman in her thirties bà because she is "a lady" → ✓ chị. Bà is for grandmothers and very formal speech; it would make her feel old.
Tip: with women, aiming younger is the polite mistake. If in doubt between chị and cô, chị is usually safer.
Etymology
From Middle Vietnamese chị, from Proto-Vietic *ɟiːʔ, from Old Chinese 姊 (OC *[ts][i]jʔ) (B-S) (SV: tỉ). The voicing dissimilarity of the onset is unexplained.
Frequently asked questions
What does chị mean in English?
chị (pronoun) means "you; my big sister".
How do you pronounce chị?
IPA: Hanoi [t͡ɕi˧˨ʔ]; Saigon [cɪj˨˩˨]. Tones: chị — heavy tone (nặng).