Vietnamese phrase guide
How to say thank you in Vietnamese: cảm ơn
Learn how to say thank you or thank u in Vietnamese: cảm ơn, with pronunciation, Southern audio, polite variants, and common mistakes.
Quick answer
In one sentence
To say thank you in Vietnamese, say cảm ơn. To say thank you very much, add nhiều (much) or rất nhiều (very much): cảm ơn nhiều or cảm ơn rất nhiều. Add pronouns like anh/chị for politeness.
- Easy pronunciation: gahm uhn
- Best use: Use this with friends, shop staff, drivers, coworkers, and most daily situations. Add a pronoun or ạ when you want to sound warmer or more respectful.
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Cảm ơn
thank you
Literal meaning: feel grateful
Easy pronunciation: gahm uhn
Use this with friends, shop staff, drivers, coworkers, and most daily situations. Add a pronoun or ạ when you want to sound warmer or more respectful.
Pronunciation breakdown
Vietnamese spelling
Cảm → cờ am cam hỏi Cảm
ơn → ơn
Useful variants
Cảm ơn bạn
Thank you
Friendly and direct.
Cảm ơn anh/chị
Thank you
Polite when speaking to an adult man or woman.
Dạ, cảm ơn ạ
Yes, thank you
Extra polite with older people or service situations.
Cảm ơn nhiều
Thank you very much
Simple intensity marker. Common and natural.
Cảm ơn rất nhiều
Thank you so very much
Emphatic gratitude. Rất means very.
Cảm ơn lắm
Thank you so much
Alternative intensity marker. Lắm is colloquial for very/much.
Cảm ơn mẹ
Thank you, mom
Mẹ means mom. Use cảm ơn bố / cảm ơn ba for thank you, dad.
Dạ không, cảm ơn
No, thank you
Polite refusal. Không means no; add dạ to soften it.
Cảm ơn vì đã giúp
Thank you for helping
Use vì đã + verb to say thank you for doing something.
Example sentences
Cảm ơn, ngon quá.
Thank you, it is so good.
Cảm ơn anh nhiều.
Thank you very much.
Cảm ơn chị rất nhiều.
Thank you so very much (to older woman).
Cảm ơn lắm nha!
Thank you so much! (casual, friendly)
Common mistakes
- Do not write thank u as Vietnamese. It is informal English; the Vietnamese phrase is still cảm ơn.
- Do not use one English-style you for everyone; Vietnamese often adds anh, chị, bạn, cô, or chú.
- Cảm ơn is enough in casual situations; do not overcomplicate your first sentence.
- Do not use cảm ơn quá for thank you very much. Quá means too much or excessively. Use nhiều or rất nhiều instead.
FAQ
How do you say thank u in Vietnamese?
Say cảm ơn. Thank u is just an informal English spelling of thank you, so the Vietnamese phrase does not change.
Is cảm ơn formal or informal?
Cảm ơn is neutral. The pronoun and particles around it make it more casual or more polite.
Can I say cám ơn instead of cảm ơn?
You may see both spellings in casual writing, but cảm ơn is the standard spelling to learn first.
How do you say thank you very much in Vietnamese?
Say cảm ơn nhiều or cảm ơn rất nhiều. Add nhiều (much) or rất nhiều (very much) after cảm ơn to express stronger gratitude. You can also use cảm ơn lắm as a casual alternative.
How do you say thank you so much in Vietnamese?
Say cảm ơn rất nhiều or cảm ơn lắm for thank you so much. Both add strong emphasis; cảm ơn lắm sounds more casual and friendly.
How do you say no thank you in Vietnamese?
Say dạ không, cảm ơn (literally: yes-no, thank you). Dạ softens the refusal and cảm ơn keeps it polite, so it sounds like a gentle no thank you.
How do you say thank you mom in Vietnamese?
Say cảm ơn mẹ. Mẹ means mom. For thank you dad, say cảm ơn bố (Northern) or cảm ơn ba (Southern).
How do you pronounce thank you in Vietnamese?
Cảm ơn sounds roughly like gahm uhn. Cảm has a falling-then-rising (asking) tone and ơn is level. Say it slowly as two clear syllables; the audio above has a slow version to copy.
How do you say thank you and goodbye in Vietnamese?
String them together: cảm ơn, tạm biệt (thank you, goodbye). In casual situations you can say cảm ơn nhé or cảm ơn, chào nhé.
Was heißt danke auf Vietnamesisch?
Danke heißt auf Vietnamesisch cảm ơn (ausgesprochen etwa gahm uhn). Vielen Dank ist cảm ơn nhiều oder cảm ơn rất nhiều.
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