In this lesson, we will learn the most common furniture words in Vietnamese.
Table of Contents
- Bed – giường
- Table – bàn
- Chair – ghế
- Desk – bàn học, bàn viết, bàn giấy or bàn làm việc
- Dining table – bàn ăn
- Sofa – ghế sô pha
- Cabinet – tủ
- Drawers – ngăn tủ, ngăn kéo
- Quiz
Bed – giường
“Bed” in Vietnamese is “giường.” The writing is the same for both the Northern and the Southern regions of Vietnam, but the pronunciation is slightly different. People from the North pronounce “gi” like z, and people from the South pronounce the “gi” like “y” in “ya.” But either way, people should understand what you mean.
Table – bàn
“Table” in Vietnamese is “bàn.”
Chair – ghế
“Chair” in Vietnamese is “ghế.” Sometimes, you may hear “ghế ngồi.” It means the same thing. “Ghế” means “chair”, “ngồi” means “sit” or “to sit”. Together, “ghế ngồi” means “a chair to sit” or “seat.”
Desk – bàn học, bàn viết, bàn giấy or bàn làm việc
“Desk” means different things in Vietnamese, depending on what type of desk and what it is used for.
A desk that is used for studying or student’s desk is called “bàn học.” “Bàn” means table, “học” means study. “Bàn học” means table that is used to study or, in other words, “desk.”
A desk that is used for working is called “bàn làm việc.” “Bàn” means “table”, “làm việc” means “to work.” Together, “bàn làm việc” means a table that is used for working.
If you don’t want to specify the purpose of the desk whether for work or for school, you can say “bàn giấy” or “bàn viết.” “Bàn” again means table, “giấy” means paper. Together, “bàn giấy” literally means paper desk; in other words, it means a desk to process paperwork (work or school work). “Viết” means to write. “Bàn viết” means a table for writing or writing desk.
Dining table – bàn ăn
“Dining table” is called “bàn ăn” in Vietnamese. “Bàn” means table, “ăn” means eat. Together, “bàn ăn” means table that is used for eating or, in other words, dining table.
Sofa – ghế sô pha
We call sofa “sô pha” in Vietnamese. “Sô pha” does not mean anything in Vietnamese. It is basically sofa in Vietnamese spelling as we don’t have f in Vietnamese alphabet. If you recall from the first lesson, ph is pronounced similar to f in English, hence, pha.
Cabinet – tủ
“Cabinet” means “tủ” in Vietnamese. “Tủ” has a very general meaning. It doesn’t just mean cabinets. It means a storage unit that has shelves or drawers.
For example:
“tủ sách” means bookcase.
“tủ quần áo” or “tủ đựng quần áo” means dresser.
Drawers – ngăn tủ, ngăn kéo
Drawer (or drawers) in a desk or chest means “ngăn tủ” or “ngăn kéo” in Vietnamese. “Ngăn” means to divide, a divider or to prevent. “Ngăn tủ” means drawers, basically a divider of “tủ.” “Kéo” means “pull” as in a drawer that you can pull out.
For simplicity, just remember that drawers means “ngăn tủ” or “ngăn kéo” in Vietnamese.
