tên Nôm

[ten˧˧ nom˧˧]

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

Meaning · English

(noun) a demotic name, used by the locals to colloquially refer to a place name, as opposed to tên chữ (“formal name, literary name”)

Noun

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

Examples

Làng Đông Hồ tên Nôm là làng Mái, tên chữ cổ là làng Đông Mại, (nay thuộc xã Song Hồ, huyện Thuận Thành, tỉnh Bắc Ninh) nổi tiếng về nghề làm hàng mã và nghề làm tranh.Đông Hồ village, whose demotic name is Mái and whose ancient literary name is Đông Mại, (now belonging to Song Hồ commune, Thuận Thành district, Bắc Ninh province), is famous for making votive paper objects and paintings.

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 ↗

Common questions

What does “tên Nôm” mean?

(noun) a demotic name, used by the locals to colloquially refer to a place name, as opposed to tên chữ (“formal name, literary name”)

Is “tên Nôm” formal or informal?

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