Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

tốn kém

[ton˧˦ kɛm˧˦]

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

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(adjective) expensive; pricey; extravagant

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đắt tiền, tốn kém

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

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

tiêu xài tốn kémto spend large sums of money

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 “tốn kém” mean?

(adjective) expensive; pricey; extravagant

Is “tốn kém” formal or informal?

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