Tiếng Việt · Saying Attested

khổ rứa

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Meaning · English

A Central sigh of sympathy or complaint — "that's rough" / "poor thing". "Rứa" is Central for "vậy", so this is the regional twin of "khổ vậy".

Literally: miserable like-that

Where it’s used: More common Miền Trung · Central Vietnam

Examples

Mưa lụt hoài, dân mình khổ rứa mà vẫn ráng cười.Flood after flood — our people have it so rough, yet they keep smiling.

Editorial example (batch 046)

Sources & notes

Discovered via slangviet.com (headword reference only; definition and example written independently for Idiomer). Retrieved 2026-08-05. Reference page: slangviet.com/phrases/kho-rua.

Common questions

What does “khổ rứa” mean?

A Central sigh of sympathy or complaint — "that's rough" / "poor thing". "Rứa" is Central for "vậy", so this is the regional twin of "khổ vậy". Literally: miserable like-that

Is “khổ rứa” formal or informal?

khổ rứa is generally informal.

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