Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

mẹ

[mɛ˧˨ʔ] 🎙 Say it

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Mother, mom — the Northern word; Southerners say má.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Người mẹ — từ miền Bắc; trong Nam nói má.

Noun

Where it’s used: Used Miền Bắc · Northern Vietnam

Mẹ tôi đang ở trong bếp.My mother is in the kitchen.

Mẹ dậy sớm nấu xôi cho cả nhà.Mom got up early to make sticky rice for the family.

Editorial example (contributed-collins-enriched)

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(intensifier, vulgar) used like a swear-word booster inside phrases ("đúng mẹ rồi") — the kinship word weaponized; crude in any company.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

từ tăng cường nguyền rủa

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

⚠ Register: vulgar

Sources & notes

Sense documented on en.wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), definition adapted; retrieved 2026-08-05.

Topics: Family

What does “mẹ” mean?

Mother, mom — the Northern word; Southerners say má.

Is “mẹ” 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?

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

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