Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

chén

[t͡ɕɛn˧˦]

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A rice bowl — the Southern word; in the North a chén is a small cup instead, and the rice bowl is bát.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chén ăn cơm — cách gọi miền Nam; ngoài Bắc "chén" là chén uống nhỏ, còn bát mới là đồ đựng cơm.

Where it’s used: Used Miền Nam · Southern Vietnam

Chén Thánhthe Holy Grail

Con so đũa, xếp chén ra bàn cho đủ năm người nghe.Set out chopsticks and rice bowls for five, please.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31)

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A small cup for tea or rice wine — the Northern meaning; the Northern rice bowl is bát.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Chén uống trà, uống rượu nhỏ — nghĩa miền Bắc; còn đồ ăn cơm ngoài Bắc là bát.

Where it’s used: Used Miền Bắc · Northern Vietnam • In the North a chén is a small cup; the rice bowl is bát.

Ông pha ấm trà, rót ra mấy chén nhỏ mời khách.He brewed a pot of tea and poured it into small cups for the guests.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Editorial curation, batch 042 (regional pairs)

What does “chén” mean?

A rice bowl — the Southern word; in the North a chén is a small cup instead, and the rice bowl is bát.

Is “chén” 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?

“bát” (Tiếng Việt) — same meaning · other region.