nhà

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

Hanoi [ɲaː˨˩]Huế [ɲaː˦˩]Saigon [ɲaː˨˩] browser voice

Syllables · tones

nhàfallinghuyền

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

nhà means house; home.

Classifier: cái, căn, ngôi, toà — e.g. một cái nhà (one house)

Meanings of nhà in English

Noun

house; home; dwelling
- nhà trênthe "main" house/building, where a family receives guests and common activies take place
colloquial immediate family; household; home ≈ gia đình
spouse
- Tôi yêu nhà tôi lắm!I love my house/home/wife!
- anh nhàyour husband
- anh nhà tôimy husband
building for a particular purpose
condominium
- Đội đặc nhiệm nhà C21C21-Condominium Task Force
followed by field of studies professional in; expert in; performer of
- nhà khoa họcscientist
- nhà độc tàidictator
- nhà ảo thuậtstage magician
followed by name of dynasty dynasty ≈ triều
- nhà Minhthe Ming dynasty

Adjective

domestic
- lợn/heo nhàdomestic pig

Words with nhà

Idioms and sayings with nhà

Bụt nhà không thiêng — familiarity breeds contempt
khôn nhà dại chợ — clever at home but foolish out on the street; a smart aleck among family but timid among strangers

Example sentences with nhà

Tôi ở nhà vì tôi bị ốm. I stayed home because I was sick.
Bạn sẽ về nhà và ở nhà. You'll go home and stay home.
Họ rất vội vã đi về nhà. They were in a hurry to get home.
Ông ấy về nhà lúc 6 giờ. He went home at six.
Tôi đã để ví tiền ở nhà. I left my wallet at home.
Đáng lẽ ra tôi nên ở nhà. I should've stayed home.
Hôm đó tôi quên ví ở nhà. On that day I forgot my wallet at home.
Tôi dự định tự đi về nhà. I plan to go home by myself.

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, nhà could be written as 𰌽, 茄, 茹, 芽. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɲaː (“house”), from Proto-Austroasiatic *ɲaːʔ (“house”). Cognate with Muong Bi nhà (“house”), Tho [Cuối Chăm] ɲɐː², Phong-Kniang ɲaː ("house"), Danau ɲɑ¹, Mang ɲua⁶.

Frequently asked questions

What does nhà mean in English?

nhà (noun) means "house; home".

How do you pronounce nhà?

IPA: Hanoi [ɲaː˨˩]; Saigon [ɲaː˨˩]. Tones: nhà — falling tone (huyền).

What classifier is used with nhà?

Common classifiers: cái, căn, ngôi, toà — for example "một cái nhà" (one house).

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.