Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

ngoại

[ŋwaːj˧˨ʔ]

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

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(preposition) synonym of ngoài (“except for”)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngoài trừ

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 ↗

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adjective) foreign

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nước ngoài

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

hàng ngoạiforeign goods; imported goods; goods bought abroad

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adjective) related to the mother's side of the family

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bên mẹ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

bên ngoại(people on) one's mother's side of the family

bà ngoạia maternal grandmother

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) everything foreign

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

điều ngoại lai

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Examples

sính ngoạito love everything foreign, such as foreign goods or foreign language words, especially in an ignorant or tacky way

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common questions

What does “ngoại” mean?

(preposition) synonym of ngoài (“except for”)

Is “ngoại” formal or informal?

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