Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

nên

[nen˧˧]

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to develop into; to change into

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

phát triển thành

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) should; ought to (the speaker intends for the subject to execute the sentence predicate)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nên làm, phải làm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(verb) to be auspicious

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

là điều may mắn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Cầm cây đũa vẫy vẫy trước mặt người ta vậy là không nên!You shouldn't wave around a single chopstick in front of someone else like that.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(conjunction) therefore; so

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

vì vậy, nên

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

What does “nên” mean?

(verb) to develop into; to change into

Is “nên” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.