cô
Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →
cô means you (to a young woman or female teacher); aunt; Miss.
Meanings of cô in English
Pronoun
- humorous, ironic you, Missy or young lady ≈ cô nương
- I/me, your paternal aunt
- I/me, a woman who's (presumably) slightly younger than either of your parents
- you, my paternal aunt
- you, a woman who's (presumably) slightly younger than either of my parents
- familiar you, a female who's (presumably) slightly younger than me ≈ em
- honorific you, my young mistress, my old master's daughter
- formal, in fiction or translation you, a young adult woman ≈ chị
- unfriendly you, my wife with whom I'm not happy
- literary she/her, that young adult woman
Pronoun
- I/me, your older female teacher
- you, my older female teacher
- you, my or my child's female teacher who's (presumably) as old as or younger than me
- you, my child's female teacher who's (presumably) slightly older than me
- she/her, my/your/our female teacher
Pronoun
- humble I/me
Noun
- a paternal aunt (father's sister)
Noun
- abbreviation, informal short for cô giáo (“female teacher”)
Words with cô
Synonyms and antonyms of cô
Synonyms
Antonyms
Example sentences with cô
- Hai má của cô đỏ rực lên. Her cheeks were bright red.
- Bạn tôi thích kem sô cô la. My friend likes chocolate ice cream.
- Mary làm rơi bút chì của cô. Mary dropped her pencil.
- Chào Meg, dạo này cô thế nào? Hello, Meg, how have you been?
- Marilyn Monroe chết khi cô 36 tuổi. Marilyn Monroe died when she was 36 years old.
- Mary lên xe máy của cô. Mary hopped on her motorcycle.
- Xin cô gọi tôi là Philip. Please call me Philip.
- Cô là Mary có đúng không? Are you Mary?
Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).
Usage note: cô
cô has several jobs, all connected to women:
- Female teacher, at any age: Em chào cô ạ. — Hello, teacher.
- Aunt on your father's side (in the North, father's younger sister).
- "You" to a woman around your parents' age but younger than them: Cô bán cho cháu hai ổ bánh mì. — Could you sell me two baguettes?
- "Miss" before a name, slightly formal: cô Lan.
cô ấy is the textbook word for "she", used for a young woman: Cô ấy là bạn tôi. — She is my friend.
When you call an older woman cô, refer to yourself as cháu (or em if she is your teacher): Cháu cảm ơn cô ạ.
✗ Calling a woman of about 25 cô to her face can sound distant or like a teacher speaking → ✓ chị or em, depending on age. cô as "you" fits women noticeably older than you.
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 姑.
Frequently asked questions
What does cô mean in English?
cô (pronoun) means "you (to a young woman or female teacher); aunt; Miss".
How do you pronounce cô?
IPA: Hanoi [ko˧˧]; Saigon [kow˧˧]. Tones: cô — level tone (ngang).
Is cô a Sino-Vietnamese word?
Yes. cô is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 姑.