ăn
[ʔan˧˧]
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
(verb) to eat; to have a meal
Where it’s used:
Used
Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora
Examples
ăn thịtto eat meat; to be carnivorous
ăn bánhto eat cakes
Cả nhà ăn tối chưa?Have you all had dinner?
Cả nhà ngồi ăn cơm tối với nhau lúc bảy giờ.The whole family sits down to eat dinner together at seven.
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗ Local usage: Ăn is the normal everyday verb; dùng bữa is more formal. [contributed-collins-enriched]
Sense 2
Meaning · English
(verb) synonym of uống (“to drink”)
Examples
ăn/uống sữato drink milk
ăn sinh tốto drink a smoothie
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sense 3
Meaning · English
(verb) to dine; to feast, to attend a feast, to celebrate, to commemorate
Examples
Có người mời ăn.Someone has invited you (us, them) to come over for a meal.
ăn tếtto feast for the new year; to celebrate the new year
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Common questions
What does “ăn” mean?
(verb) to eat; to have a meal
Is “ăn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.