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The middle of the day, typically around 12:00 PM when the sun is highest.
Buổi trưa hôm nay trời nắng gắt.
The sun was blazing at noon today.
Tôi thường ngủ trưa vào lúc 1 giờ chiều.
I usually take a nap at 1 PM.
The period from late morning to early afternoon (approximately 11 AM to 2 PM).
Vào những ngày hè, buổi trưa nóng bức quá.
In summer, the afternoons are unbearably hot.
In Vietnamese, time periods are divided differently than in English: - 'Sáng' (morning): 5 AM - 11 AM - 'Trưa' (noon): 11 AM - 2 PM (peak at 12 PM) - 'Chiều' (afternoon): 2 PM - 6 PM - 'Tối' (evening): 6 PM - 10 PM - 'Đêm' (night): 10 PM - 5 AM Remember that 'trưa' is specifically the midday period, not the entire afternoon.
When referring to specific times with 'trưa', use 'lúc' or 'vào' before the time: - 'lúc trưa' (at noon) - 'vào trưa nay' (this noon) - 'vào trưa mai' (tomorrow noon) Avoid using 'trưa' alone to mean 'in the afternoon' - use 'buổi chiều' instead.
From Old Vietnamese 'trưa', derived from Proto-Vietic *tɨə, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *tɔːr (middle, center). Related to Muong 'tưa' and other Austroasiatic languages.
1. 'Trưa' specifically refers to the time around midday, not the entire afternoon. For the full afternoon period, use 'buổi chiều' (late afternoon) or 'chiều' (afternoon). 2. In Southern Vietnam, 'trưa' may sometimes extend to cover the early afternoon (up to 3 PM), while in Northern Vietnam it's more strictly around 12 PM. 3. The phrase 'ngủ trưa' (to take a nap at noon) is very common in Vietnamese culture due to the traditional siesta practice.