họ

[hɔ˧˨ʔ]

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

Sense 1

Meaning · English

(noun) family name; surname

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tên gia đình

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: formal

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

Examples

Dân Đông Á dùng họ trước tên sau. Người Tây dùng tên trước họ sau.East Asians have their family names come first. Westerners do the opposite.
Hai Bà Trưng họ gì? Họ Hai!What was the family name of the Two Ladies Trưng? Two!

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

Meaning · English

(noun) extended family

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

gia đình mở rộng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: formal

Sense 3

Meaning · English

(noun) family

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

gia đình

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: formal

Sense 4

Meaning · English

(adjective) being a cousin

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

là người họ hàng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: formal

Examples

anh/chị họa male/female cousin who can be traced back to an ancestor who is/was an elder sibling to yours
em họa cousin who can be traced back to an ancestor who is/was a younger sibling to yours

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common questions

What does “họ” mean?

(noun) family name; surname

Is “họ” formal or informal?

họ is generally formal.