Do you want to learn to say I love you in Vietnamese to your Vietnamese partner or to your friends? Be careful! Because the Vietnamese culture is different from the Western cultures, you may create some misunderstanding if you do not use appropriate phrases.
That is why today I’m going to show you how to express your love to different people properly in Vietnamese culture. You’ll even learn Vietnamese faster by practicing it with your loved one!
Saying I Love You In Vietnamese To Your Partner
There are two ways to say I love you in Vietnamese:
If you had read my article about How to say Hello in Vietnamese, you would have known that we have many pronouns in Vietnamese. Anh is just one of the pronouns used for “a man,” and Em is also just one of the pronouns used for “a woman.” In Vietnamese culture, when in a relationship, a man prefers to be called “Anh” to mean that he can protect his woman.
If you have a Vietnamese partner, congratulations! She or he can help you learn the Vietnamese language and Vietnamese culture frequently. Imagine one day you can impress your Vietnamese lover by saying “I love you” in Vietnamese. I’m sure your partner will feel so touched when you say that. It doesn’t mean she or he cannot feel love when you say it in English, but people usually feel it more when you speak in their native language.
How Do You Say I Love You In Vietnamese To Your Family Members?
“Love” is translated as “Yêu” in Vietnamese. So, to say I Love You to your family members, you can combine the word “yêu” with the pronouns to call your mom, dad, brothers, and sisters.
Do Vietnamese People Say I Love You To Friends?
If you guys are the same age and you like him or her, but both of you are not in a relationship yet, there are many different ways to express your love.
So you can use tôi, “tớ, or mình to call yourself and use bạn or cậu to call your friend.
There is an informal way to say “I love you” to your friend, which is “Tao yêu mày.” You should only say that when both of you are very close.
If you guys are just regular friends and don’t have any romantic feelings towards each other, don’t use the word “yêu.” Instead, use the word “quý“, “mến” or “thích” instead. For instance:
More Romantic Phrases In Vietnamese To Learn
If you want to learn more about romantic Vietnamese phrases similar to “I love you” in Vietnamese or phrases for a date, check out the Ling app and learn from Vietnamese native speakers. You can download it now on the App Store or Play Store and chat with your Vietnamese friends!
There are many alternative ways to say sweet things to your loved one. The list of common Vietnamese romantic phrases is listed below:
1. I Like You
2. I Like You Very Much
Male speaker: Anh thích em nhiều lắm.
Female speaker: Em thích anh nhiều lắm.
3. I Love You So Much, Or I Love You Very Much
Male speaker: Anh yêu em rất nhiều.
Female speaker: Em yêu anh rất nhiều.
4. I Love You Too
Male speaker: Anh cũng yêu em.
Female speaker: Em cũng yêu anh.
5. I Love You More
Male speaker: Anh yêu em nhiều hơn.
Female speaker: Em yêu anh nhiều hơn.
6. I Miss You
7. I Have Got A Crush On You
Male speaker: Anh có tình cảm với em . You can also say Anh cảm nắng em.
Female speaker: Em có tình cảm với anh. You can also say Em cảm nắng anh.
8. I’m In Love With You
Male speaker: Anh yêu em mất rồi.
Female speaker: Em yêu anh mất rồi.
What To Call Someone You Love In Vietnamese
There are many ways to call someone you love in the Vietnamese language. There is no rule for calling your lover. It is up to you to call him or her in the way both of you like to do. For example:
My dear, Honey, Darling, Sweet Heart
Anh yêu (to call the man) & Em yêu (to call the woman)
Mình – it means that you consider your lover as yourself
Boyfriend & Girlfriend
Bạn trai is used to call the boyfriend. Bạn gái is used to call the girlfriend.
My Partner, Wife, Husband
If you have got married, you can call your wife or husband Bạn đời . This phrase is literally translated as A lifetime friend. You can also use the word Vợ to call your wife (if any) and Chồng to call your husband.
Vietnamese people also call their husband or wife Nhà . Nhà means “a house” or “home.” So, it sounds sweet when you consider your husband or wife your “home” where you will be back after a long working day.
Friends With Benefits (FWB)
Friends With Benefits (FWB) is still quite new to the Vietnamese culture. You can call your partner Người tình or Tình nhân which sounds like you just need that person to have some memorable nights rather than a formal relationship.
A Person Who Is In A Love Affair
A love affair is called Ngoại tình or Bồ bịch in Vietnamese. If a man has a love affair, people will say Anh đó ngoại tình or Anh đó cặp bồ (That man has a love affair). The woman who is in love with the man but is not his wife will be called Bồ. Kindly note that “Bồ” also means friend in the Southern Vietnamese dialect.
Express Your Love In The Vietnamese Culture
Depending on where you stay in Vietnam, people have different ways of expressing their feelings to their lovers. For example, it seems to be more open in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City than in smaller cities or rural areas. Generally speaking, Vietnamese people don’t often express their love so much in public.
In a typical Vietnamese family, people don’t say “I love you” regularly. Instead, they will show that they care about their family members by questioning, giving advice, or buying gifts.
If you have a Vietnamese boyfriend or girlfriend, don’t say “I love you” to your regular friends in daily conversations. Your lover might think that you really “love” your friend because “love” means yêu in Vietnamese, and yêu is a serious phrase to express their love.
