bà ấy
[ʔɓaː˨˩ ʔəj˧˦]
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
(pronoun) she (woman of higher social status, e.g., older)
Pronoun
Where it’s used:
Used
Miền Bắc · Northern Vietnam
• Wiktionary labels this sense “Northern”
Examples
Bà ấy bán xôi ở đầu ngõ đã hai chục năm.She’s been selling sticky rice at the head of the alley for twenty years.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Equivalents & related
Same meaning · other region
bả
She, her — the Southern spoken contraction of bà ấy.
Tiếng Việt
Same meaning · other region
bà í
She (personal pronoun).
Tiếng Việt · via bả
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “bà ấy” mean?
(pronoun) she (woman of higher social status, e.g., older)
Is “bà ấy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“bả” (Tiếng Việt) — same meaning · other region.