đồ ăn

/ʔɗo˨˩ ʔan˧˧/

food

Em thích đồ ăn Việt Nam.

I like Vietnamese food.

general

Edible items prepared and consumed by humans for nourishment or enjoyment.

Anh ấy mua đồ ăn cho bữa tối.

He bought food for dinner.

Đồ ăn nhanh không tốt cho sức khỏe.

Fast food is not good for health.

Commonly used in daily conversation to refer to any type of food, including meals, snacks, or dishes.

Collocations

đồ ăn nhanhfast foodđồ ăn vặtsnackđồ ăn chayvegetarian food

Synonyms

thức ăn món ăn

Antonyms

đồ uống

Pro Tip

Distinguish from 'thức ăn'

'Đồ ăn' is more colloquial and casual, while 'thức ăn' is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. 'Đồ ăn' often implies a complete item (e.g., a dish or snack), whereas 'thức ăn' can refer to ingredients or raw food.

Word Origin

Compound of 'đồ' (item, thing) + 'ăn' (to eat). 'Đồ' derives from Chinese '物' (wù, thing), while 'ăn' comes from Old Vietnamese 'ăn' (to eat), ultimately from Proto-Vietic *ʔaːn.

Usage Notes

Used broadly for any edible item, including prepared dishes, raw ingredients, or packaged foods. In formal writing, 'thức ăn' is slightly more common, but 'đồ ăn' is widely understood and used in speech.

Word Breakdown

đồ

item/thing

root

ăn

to eat

root

Từ Điển Việt Anh

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