Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

ăn mặn

[ʔan˧˧ man˧˨ʔ]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to eat salty/savory food, especially in a multi-course meal, usually as opposed to ăn ngọt/tráng miệng (“to eat sweet food, such as fruit or desserts”)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ăn thực phẩm mặn, đặc biệt trong bữa ăn nhiều món

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Examples

Tiệc này không ăn mặn.There won't be savory refreshments in this party.

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 ↗

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to eat too much salty food, in a way that could adversely affect your health

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ăn quá nhiều thực phẩm mặn, có thể ảnh hưởng xấu đến sức khỏe

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

Đừng ăn mặn kẻo đau thận.Don't eat too much salty food, it'll screw up your kidneys.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to eat animal products and not be a vegan

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ăn sản phẩm từ động vật và không theo chế độ ăn kiêng vegan

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

Mình không ăn mặn.I'm vegan.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common questions

What does “ăn mặn” mean?

(verb) to eat salty/savory food, especially in a multi-course meal, usually as opposed to ăn ngọt/tráng miệng (“to eat sweet food, such as fruit or desserts”)

Is “ăn mặn” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.