bạn

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ban"

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 伴 (“partner; companion; comrade”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːn˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːŋ˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓaːŋ˨˩˨]

Noun

(classifier người) bạn

1. friend, companion, comrade, etc.

Synonyms

• (dated) bằng hữu (朋友)

Pronoun

bạn

1. you

Usage notes

• Bạn is used to mean "you" when speaking to someone of about the same or lower age, especially on public shows (in conjunction with tôi), or among young people (with tui or mình). It is also used in books to address the readers whose ages are not known (with tôi). It is rather neutral in style, and used when one does not want to sound either too intimate or too alienating.

See also

• tôi
• mình
• mày