ăn
/ʔan˧˧/verb★Beginner
informal
to eat
Tôi ăn cơm vào 7 giờ tối.
I eat dinner at 7 PM.
Anh ấy ăn nhiều trái cây.
He eats a lot of fruit.
💡
This is the most common meaning of 'ăn' in everyday Vietnamese.
neutral
to consume (food or drink)
Chúng ta nên ăn uống lành mạnh.
We should eat and drink healthily.
Collocations
ăn cơmto eat rice (meal)ăn trưato eat lunchăn sángto eat breakfastăn tốito eat dinnerăn uốngto eat and drink
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
ăn nóiidiom
to eat and talk (idiom for socializing)
ăn nănidiom
to eat and talk (idiom for socializing)
💡Pro Tip
Common Collocations
'Ăn' is often combined with time-specific words like 'trưa' (lunch) or 'sáng' (breakfast) to specify the meal.
⚡Gold Rule
Meal-Specific Usage
Use 'ăn' with specific meal times (e.g., 'ăn sáng' for breakfast) to avoid ambiguity.
📖Word Origin
From Proto-Vietic *ʔan (to eat), cognate with Muong 'ăn', Chut 'an', and other Austroasiatic languages.
📝Usage Notes
'Ăn' is a basic verb used for all types of eating, from meals to snacks. It is often paired with specific nouns like 'cơm' (rice) or 'trái cây' (fruit).
Word Breakdown
ăn
to eat
rootTừ Điển Việt Anh