không dám

Level ≈B1 (approx.) interjectionverb Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [xəwŋ͡m˧˧ zaːm˧˦]Huế [kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ jaːm˦˧˥]Saigon [kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ jaːm˦˥] browser voice

Syllables · tones

khônglevelngang dámrisingsắc

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

không dám means you're welcome; not at all.

Meanings of không dám in English

Interjection

polite you're welcome; not at all ≈ không có chi không có gì không sao

Verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see không, dám.

Example sentences with không dám

Cô ấy không dám hỏi gì cả. She doesn't dare ask for anything.
Cô áy không dám trở lại đó nữa. She dared to never go back there.
Tom không dám thách thức. Tom didn't dare to defy.
Tôi không dám. I don't dare.

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

Etymology

không (“not”) + dám (“dare”).

Frequently asked questions

What does không dám mean in English?

không dám (interjection) means "you're welcome; not at all".

How do you pronounce không dám?

IPA: Hanoi [xəwŋ͡m˧˧ zaːm˧˦]; Saigon [kʰəwŋ͡m˧˧ jaːm˦˥]. Tones: không — level tone (ngang), dám — rising tone (sắc).

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.