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cơm
/kəːm˧/
cooked rice
Tôi ăn cơm mỗi ngày.
I eat rice every day.
informal
Cooked rice, typically served as a staple food in Vietnamese meals.
Bữa trưa hôm nay có cơm, thịt kho, và canh chua.
Today's lunch has rice, braised pork, and sour soup.
Anh ấy nấu cơm rất ngon.
He cooks rice very well.
In Vietnamese cuisine, 'cơm' refers to white rice steamed from broken rice grains, distinct from glutinous rice ('xôi').
Collocations
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Distinguishing 'cơm' from other rice terms
'Cơm' specifically refers to steamed rice, while 'gạo' means uncooked rice, 'xôi' means glutinous rice, and 'bánh phở' refers to rice noodles.
Gold Rule
When to use 'cơm' in a sentence
Use 'cơm' to describe the staple food or a meal in general. Avoid using it for dishes where rice is a secondary ingredient (e.g., 'bánh mì' with rice inside).
Word Origin
From Proto-Vietic *kɔːm, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kɔːm. Cognate with Muong *kɔːm and possibly related to Proto-Tai *kɤːm (rice).
Usage Notes
'Cơm' is a core term in Vietnamese culture, often used metonymically to refer to a meal (e.g., 'đi ăn cơm' = 'go eat a meal'). In Southern Vietnam, 'cơm' can colloquially mean 'lunch' or 'dinner' depending on context.
Word Breakdown
cơm
cooked rice
rootTừ Điển Việt Anh