Did you know that only some reptiles and birds don’t parent their offspring? Except for crocodiles, all reptiles (and one family of bird species called megapodes) hatch from eggs and grow up alone, without any family.
The rest of us need family if we are to survive and thrive – humans and animals alike!
At VietnamesePod101, we know how important family is. Therefore, we take care to teach you all the important vocabulary and phrases pertaining to family.
Table of Contents
- Why Is It Important to Know Vietnamese Vocabulary about Family?
- Learn a New Culture? Learn its Family Vocab first
- How VietnamesePod101 Can Help You Learn Vietnamese Family Terms
1. Why Is It Important to Know Vietnamese Vocabulary about Family?
Well, if you’re serious about studying any new language, then learning about the most important social unit in Vietnamese culture would be a crucial part of your education.
What is family, though? Strictly speaking, it’s a group of people who live together and are supposed to take care of one another. Some of them are genetically linked.
Family isn’t just about who we’re related to by blood, of course. It’s also one of the main influences in shaping every child’s life.
Family is Important for Children’s Healthy Development
Family is the single most important influence in a child’s life. Children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs from the day they were born.
Primary caregivers, which usually comprise parents and family, form a child’s first relationships. They are a child’s first teachers and are role models that show kids how to act and experience the world around them.
By nurturing and teaching children during their early years, families play an important role in making sure children are ready to learn when they enter school.
Families Can Take All Shapes and Sizes
However, the way families are put together is by no means standard.
Single-parent and same-gender households have become a new norm the past few decades, and there’s no shame in this. When there is love, connection and proper care, a child can thrive anywhere.
Everyone also knows that sometimes friends can become like family and remain with us for life, because it’s all about human connection.
After all, we share many commonalities simply because we’re human, and we are programmed to connect with one another and belong to a group. This is very important for our well-being and survival.
It’s All About Feeling Connected
As John Northman, a psychologist from Buffalo, NY, told WebMD – feeling connected to others contributes to mental as well as physical health.
He pointed out that when people feel connected, they feel better physically, and they’re also less likely to feel depressed.
Or, if they do feel depressed, they’d be in a better position to get out of it when they feel they are connecting with others. This is because they would be psychologically supported too, Northman said.
There has even been some links drawn between addiction and feeling disconnected from others. According to an article in Psychology Today, research indicates that addiction is not solely a substance disorder, but also affected by people feeling insecurely attached to others.
It showed that securely attached individuals tend to feel comfortable in and enjoy life, while insecurely attached people typically struggle to fit in and connect.
2. Learn a New Culture? Learn its Family Vocab first
So, it’s clear that for most of us, family is our entry point into connection and belonging. This is true of every culture, so in every country, family takes prominence.
For this reason, VietnamesePod101 offers culturally-relevant lessons that will equip you well to understand families in Vietnam.
Here are some of the most important Vietnamese vocabulary and quotes about family and parenting!
A) Vietnamese Family Vocabulary
Let’s start with the basic vocabulary. Without this collection of words, you’ll have a hard time describing any member of your family at all.
| Family Terms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Family gia đình |
Great grandfather ông cụ |
|
| Mother mẹ |
Grandmother bà |
|
| Father cha |
Grandfather ông |
|
| Wife vợ |
Grandchild cháu |
|
| Husband chồng |
Granddaughter cháu gái |
|
| Parent cha mẹ |
Grandson cháu trai |
|
| Child đứa trẻ |
Aunt cô, dì |
|
| Daughter con gái |
Uncle chú |
|
| Sister chị gái, em gái |
Niece cháu gái |
|
| Brother anh, em trai |
Nephew cháu trai |
|
| Younger sister em gái |
Younger brother em trai |
|
| Older brother anh trai |
Great grandmother bà cụ |
|
| Cousin anh chị em họ |
Mother-in-law mẹ vợ |
|
| Father-in-law bố vợ |
Sister-in-law chị chồng, chị vợ |
|
| Brother-in-law anh rể |
Partner vợ chồng |
B) Quotes About Family
One of the ways to improve your Vietnamese language skills is by memorizing quotes from books, or poems.
Either source some from Vietnamese literature, or make use of ours!
Bạn không chọn gia đình của mình. Gia đình là món quà của Chúa dành cho bạn cũng như bạn là món quà dành cho gia đình của bạn.
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” – Desmond Tutu
Gia đình không phải là một thứ quan trọng mà là tất cả mọi thứ trên đời.
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” – Michael J. Fox
Gia đình có nghĩa là không ai bị bỏ lại phía sau hoặc bị lãng quên.
“Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” – David Ogden Stiers
Gia đình tôi là sức mạnh và cũng là điểm yếu của tôi.
“My family is my strength and my weakness.” – Aishwarya Rai
Gia đình là một trong những kiệt tác của tự nhiên.
“The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” – George Santayana
Khi khó khăn đến, gia đình sẽ là nơi hỗ trợ bạn.
“When trouble comes, it’s your family that supports you.” – Guy Lafleur
Gia đình là tế bào thiết yếu đầu tiên của xã hội loài người.
“The family is the first essential cell of human society.” – Pope John XXIII
Không có niềm vui cho tất cả mọi người trong một gia đình.
“There is no such thing as fun for the whole family.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Bạn phải bảo vệ danh dự của bạn. Và gia đình của bạn.
“You have to defend your honor. And your family.” – Suzanne Vega
Tất cả các gia đình hạnh phúc đều giống nhau; mỗi gia đình không hạnh phúc thì không hạnh phúc theo cách khác nhau.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy
C) Test Your Knowledge!
Do you feel you have learned a lot in this blog? Let’s quickly test that!
In the table below, match the Vietnamese vocabulary on the left with the definition of the relative in the right column.
| MY RELATIVES | |
|---|---|
| Relative Name | Definition |
| 1. gia đình | a. My male child |
| 2. mẹ | b. My older male sibling |
| 3. cha | c. My female sibling |
| 4. vợ | d. My child’s child |
| 5. chồng | e. My child’s female child |
| 6. cha mẹ | f. My female parent |
| 7. đứa trẻ | g. My grandparent’s mother |
| 8. con gái | h. Mother to one of my parents |
| 9. con trai | i. Relatives |
| 10. chị gái, em gái | j. My female child |
| 11. anh, em trai | k. My younger male sibling |
| 12. em gái | l. Male spouse |
| 13. em trai | m. The father of one of my parents |
| 14. anh trai | n. My child’s male child |
| 15. bà cụ | o. My children’s father or mother |
| 16. ông cụ | p. The sister of one of my parents |
| 17. bà | q. The brother of one of my parents |
| 18. ông | r. My male parent |
| 19. cháu | s. My sibling’s female child |
| 20. cháu gái | t. My sibling’s male child |
| 21. cháu trai | u. My male sibling |
| 22. cô, dì | v. My parents’ sibling’s child |
| 23. Chú | w. Female spouse |
| 24. cháu gái | x. The grandfather of one of my parents |
| 25. cháu trai | y. The person I am a parent to |
| 26. anh chị em họ | z. My younger female sibling |
How did it go? Don’t worry if you had trouble with it – you’ll get there! With a bit of practice, and our help at VietnamesePod101, you’ll soon have these family terms under the belt.
3. How VietnamesePod101 Can Help You Learn Vietnamese Family Terms
We hope that we helped you expand your family in Vietnamese vocabulary!
VietnamesePod101, with its innovative online learning system, stands out among online learning platforms to help you master Vietnamese easily.
Our lessons are tailored not only to increase your language skills, but to also inform you of Vietnamese culture, including the Vietnamese family structure.
When you sign up, you will get instant access to tools like:
1 – An extensive vocabulary list, regularly updated
2 – A new Vietnamese word to learn every day
3 – Quick access to the Vietnamese Key Phrase List
4 – A free Vietnamese online dictionary
5 – The excellent 100 Core Vietnamese Word List
6 – An almost limitless Lesson Library for learners of all levels
Further speed up your learning with the help of a personal tutor, who will first assess your current Vietnamese language abilities to personalize your training and tailor it to your needs.
Hard work always pays off, and to help you in this, VietnamesePod101 will be there every step of the way toward your Vietnamese mastery!
Answers: 1.i. 2.f. 3.r. 4.w. 5.l. 6.o. 7.y. 8.j. 9.a. 10.c. 11.u. 12.z. 13.k. 14.b. 15.g 16.x. 17.h. 18.m. 19.d. 20.e. 21.n. 22.p. 23.q. 24.s. 25.t. 26.v.
