thầy
[tʰəj˨˩]
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
(noun) male teacher
Register: formal
Sources & notes
Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗
Sense 2
Meaning · English
(noun) teacher
Register: formal
Examples
Muốn sang thì bắc cầu kiều
Muốn con hay chữ thì yêu lấy thầyIf you want to cross a river, build a bridge
If you want your children educated, love (and marry) a teacher.
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sense 3
Meaning · English
(noun) father
Register: formal
Where it’s used:
Used
Miền Bắc · Northern Vietnam
• Wiktionary labels this sense “Northern”
Examples
thầy mẹ/uparents
Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sense 4
Meaning · English
(pronoun) I/me, your male teacher
Register: formal
Common questions
What does “thầy” mean?
(noun) male teacher
Is “thầy” formal or informal?
thầy is generally formal.