Tiếng Việt · Slang Attested

GATO

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

Also seen as: ghen ăn tức ở

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Jealous of someone else’s success or good fortune — envious hating.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Ghen tị với thành công hoặc may mắn của người khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: Acronym of “ghen ăn tức ở” (jealous in eating, resentful in living).

How to use it

✓ Use it when

Teasing someone (or admitting to) envy, mostly online and among younger speakers.

✗ Avoid it when

Formal writing; older listeners may not know the acronym.

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora Origin Mạng xã hội · Vietnamese internet culture • younger speakers; older listeners may not know the acronym • forum-era acronym of “ghen ăn tức ở”

Examples

Nó khoe xe mới mà mình thì GATO thật sự.He’s showing off the new car and honestly? I’m so GATO (jealous).

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Also a pun on “gato” (gâteau, cake) in Vietnamese. A textbook example of an acronymized idiom becoming its own word.

Common questions

What does “GATO” mean?

Jealous of someone else’s success or good fortune — envious hating. Literally: Acronym of “ghen ăn tức ở” (jealous in eating, resentful in living).

Is “GATO” formal or informal?

GATO is generally informal; connotation: teasing.