Fruits in Vietnamese
“Fruits” in Vietnamese is called “trái cây.”
Here are some common fruit names in Vietnamese.
Table of Contents
Táo
Táo means apple.
Chuối
Chuối means banana.
Cam
If you have read my post about Colors in Vietnamese, you know that cam means orange (color) in Vietnamese. Maybe because of the color of the oranges, we also call orange (fruit) cam in Vietnamese.
To know if people are talking about orange the fruit or orange the color, it depends on the context. When you are talking about fruits, cam means orange(s) (fruit). When you are talking about colors, cam means orange (color).
If you want to be clear, as mentioned in the post colors in Vietnamese, you can say màu cam to emphasize that you are talking about color.
Nho
Nho means grape.
Nhãn
When talking about fruit, nhãn usually means Longan. Longan’s full name in Vietnamese is called “long nhãn,” but people usually just say nhãn.
Xoài
Xoài means mango.
Đu đủ
Đu đủ means papaya.
Thanh long
“Thanh long” means dragon fruit.
Dâu
Dâu means strawberry when talking about fruit.
The word “dâu” also has other meanings. For example, “cô dâu” means bride. “Cô dâu và chú rể” means bride and groom. “Con dâu” means daughter-in-law.
Dưa hấu
“Dưa hấu” means watermelon.
Lê
Lê means pear when talking about fruit. The word “Lê” is also a common last name in Vietnam.
Thơm
Thơm means pineapple when talking about fruit.
The word “thơm” also has a different meaning. People use the word thơm to refer to a good smell in general, whether it’s from flowers or food.
For example:
A: “Thơm không?”
B: “Thơm.”
“Thơm không” means “does it smell good?” Answering with just thơm emphasizes that it smells good.
Bưởi
Bưởi means grapefruit.
How and when to use “trái”
When we say táo, lê, cam, etc., we are talking about apple, pear, orange, etc., in general. When we want to be more specific about how many apples, pears or oranges, etc., we use this formula:
| number + trái + name of the fruit |
For example:
“Ba trái táo” means three apples.
“Một trái bưởi” means one grapefruit.
My post about numbers in Vietnamese talks about how to say numbers in Vietnamese. If you do not remember, you can review the post to learn more.
When there is no number in front of “trái,” it is understood that the speaker means only one.
For example:
“Lấy cho em trái cam.”
The above sentence means “get me an orange.” When there is no number stated in front of “trái,” we understand that the speaker means one.
When you do not want to specify the amount, you can use the following words instead of numbers.
| mấy | some |
| vài | a few |
| nhiều | many |
You can also use “mấy” in a question to ask specifically how many.
For example:
A: “Cho chị vài trái lê đi em.” (Give me a few pears)
B: “Mấy trái, chị?” (How many?)
A: “Ba trái đi em.” (Three)
You may wonder why such a long sentence such as “ba trái đi em” means “three” when “ba” itself in front of “trái” already means “three.” Don’t worry. We will learn more about the other words in the later lessons. However, if you must know, here’s a quick explanation:
The word “đi” means “go,” but in this situation, it works like an indicator that it is a request for the other person to perform an action. Therefore, A by saying “ba trái đi” is asking B to get her three pears.
The word “em” is to address the other person (see Addressing people: Why “I” doesn’t simply mean “tôi” and “you” doesn’t mean “bạn” in Vietnamese). When you add the word “em” at the end, it gives a more intimate feeling.
