Maybe you want to use your đtdd (phone) to nhắn tin (send a message) a friend in Vietnamese. Or maybe you’re lazy to type out full words in a chat. Here’s a starter guide to Vietnamese SMS abbreviations.
Most phones don’t do accents, or they’re arduous to use so people don’t bother, so you’ll be reading Vietnamese without the tones. Vietnamese words are short anyway, so the list of common abbreviations isn’t as extensive as other languages.
ko = không
dc = được
a = anh
e = em
ng = người
wa = quá (this may be southern)
-ng → g
For example, nhug = nhưng. dag, xog and cug are also common (= đang, xong, cũng).
i → j
For example, dj = đi, bjet or bjt = biết. Some may write gì as ji or j.
hjhj is also common as showing laughter.
If you’re talking about a friend, you may shorten their name to their initial (eg. if you were talking about me you’d write T for Thảo).
And of course VN is Việt Nam!
These are the most common abbreviations for texting in Vietnamese that I’ve come across, though young people may use more than this!
23 replies on “Texting in Vietnamese: Common Abbreviations”
Ruth Elizabeth (Thao),
For the life of me, I am trying to understand what the symbol ^^ means when texted to me from a Vietnamese friend, but too shy to ask. Can you help? Is there more that one meaning?
thanks.
It’s a kind of smiley face. The long form is ^_^ but it’s often shortened to ^^
I have a question about something. I’m playing this game called “SuperDancer VN” and everyone on there keeps on typing “Tuyen vk” or “Tuyen ck” And I am vietnamese so i understand what everyone is saying but, I just have no idea what “vk” and “ck” is. Do you have an answer for what they mean?
I’m not certain, but could “vk” refer to “vui khong” in this context? You’re probably better off asking another player to be sure though.
Vk would usually mean Vợ. Ck would usually mean Chồng.
Thanks for chipping in!
Great help
What does meo mean? Slang wise?
What’s the context? Without knowing I’d guess it’s mèo (cat) as a nickname, but that’s just a guess.
Hok is hong which is the southern version for khong.
What does “hok” mean in Vietnamese – text talking
What is “ sn” in Vietnamese
What is The meaning of K??? Is it slang word??? They are using it for sms/chat.
K is the same as ko which just means khong.
What is “kg” short for?
What are Cô My and Cô Vy ? I’m seeing them a lot, particularly around COVID-19
I don’t know what Co My means, but Co Vy just means COVID-19.
What does IB and MK means?
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IB means text me back and Mk is a different way of saying yes
Anybody know what is nhma?
When you use vk, ck, and uk for vợ, chồng and ừ … what does the “k” mean?
“oce em me”. I got that from a vietnamese friend. Can someone translate that for me?
Elisabeth, this post is super helpful!
I’m trying to learn Vietnamese, and texting abbreviations have been a real stumbling block. I was getting so confused seeing “ko” instead of “không” and “bít” for “biết.” Your clear explanations and examples are exactly what I needed. I especially appreciate the pronunciation guide – that’s crucial for me. I’m going to bookmark this page and refer back to it often. Thanks for breaking down these common abbreviations so clearly. It makes learning feel less daunting! Now, if only there was a similar guide for slang… 😉