thằng

Level ≈A2 (approx.) classifier Top 1,000 most common

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

Syllables · tones

thằngfallinghuyền

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

thằng means indicates male people; character; personality.

Meanings of thằng in English

Classifier

informal, offensive indicates male people
- hai thằng, một contwo guys, one girl
colloquial character, personality (not referring to a person, but pretending to)
- Cái thằng này là bình phương của cái thằng nàyThis guy is the square of this guy

Words with thằng

thằng cha thằng này

Idioms and sayings with thằng

thằng chột làm vua xứ mù — synonym of anh chột làm vua xứ mù (“in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”)

Synonyms and antonyms of thằng

Antonyms

con

Example sentences with thằng

Mày nợ thằng đó cái gì thế? What do you owe him?
Tom là một thằng bị cắm sừng. Tom's a cuckold.
Mày chỉ là một thằng hèn. You're just a coward.
Cậu chỉ là một thằng hèn. You're just a coward.
Tôi đúng là một thằng ngu! What an idiot I am!
Tom cảm giác như thằng hề. Tom felt like a fool.
Tôi không biết cả hai thằng. I don't know either boy.
Tao biết Tom là thằng có tâm mà. I know Tom is a conscientious guy.

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, thằng could be written as 尚, 尙, 倘, 𠊟. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

Attested multiple times in a Lý dynasty stele dated to 1209, Báo Ân thiền tự bi kí (報恩禪寺碑記; 04102/04103) as 尚 (MC dzyangH) (modern SV: thượng).

Frequently asked questions

What does thằng mean in English?

thằng (classifier) means "indicates male people; character; personality".

How do you pronounce thằng?

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

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.