Words ranked by frequency from Vietnamese Wikipedia, grouped into proficiency levels. See also: browse all words by rank.
Words every beginner needs. High-frequency function words and basic vocabulary.
Everyday conversation vocabulary. Common nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Reading comprehension vocabulary. Needed for news articles and general texts.
Academic and nuanced vocabulary. Specialized topics and formal registers.
Domain-specific and rare words. Technical, literary, and regional terms.
| # | word | frequency | definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | và | 379,497 | and |
| 2 | của | 360,885 | (1) (possessive marker), of; (2) property, possessions, belonging; (3) belong to |
| 3 | được | 300,059 | (passive marker); can, be able, okay; that, which; to have, receive, obtain; ... |
| 4 | là | 276,620 | that; to be |
| 5 | năm | 245,973 | (1) five; (2) year |
| 6 | các | 236,638 | (1) (pluralizer); these, various; (2) council chambers; (3) card; (4) to pay ... |
| 7 | một | 233,447 | one; a, an |
| 8 | trong | 185,218 | during; in(side), among |
| 9 | có | 170,544 | to be, have, exist; there is, there are |
| 10 | đã | 168,050 | (past tense marker); first; after, following |
| 11 | này | 148,590 | here; this, these; (expression) by the way, say |
| 12 | với | 135,786 | with, and; to join (someone), reach for (something) |
| 13 | người | 119,660 | man, person, people, individual, body |
| 14 | vào | 108,248 | at, on (date), in, to; to enter, go in, access |
| 15 | những | 106,187 | (pluralizer); several, various; to be only; certain number of, some; as much ... |
| 16 | cho | 101,494 | add, give; to, for; to say, claim; in order to; let, allow, permit |
| 17 | ở | 94,899 | to live, be, stay, remain; in, at |
| 18 | từ | 78,339 | from, since, of; to leave; to turn down; word, expression, vocabulary; temple... |
| 19 | tháng | 74,723 | month |
| 20 | để | 73,582 | (1) in order to, so, so that; to allow, permit; to put, place, let (someone d... |
| 21 | đến | 71,922 | from, beginning; to come, arrive; to, until, up to |
| 22 | không | 71,855 | (1) no, not; (question tag); (2) air; (3) empty |
| 23 | khi | 59,922 | occasion, time (when something happens), when, at the time of, if |
| 24 | về | 59,755 | (1) about, concerning, regarding; (2) in, towards; (3) to come back, return, go |
| 25 | tại | 59,417 | at, in; because (of) |
| 26 | trên | 58,648 | in, on; aforementioned, above, over, throughout |
| 27 | ông | 57,886 | Mr., you (m) |
| 28 | bị | 57,701 | (1) bag, (knap)sack; (2) to suffer, undergo, experience, (suffering passive m... |
| 29 | loài | 56,726 | species, type |
| 30 | ngày | 55,876 | day, daytime, date |
| 31 | đầu tiên | 51,284 | first; at first |
| 32 | nhiều | 50,929 | much, many, a great deal, plentiful, often, numerous, abundant, a great deal |
| 33 | cũng | 50,724 | also, too |
| 34 | có thể | 49,075 | can, perhaps, maybe, may, might, could |
| 35 | nó | 48,824 | he, she, it, they |
| 36 | họ | 43,718 | (1) family, clan; (2) they |
| 37 | hơn | 43,495 | additional, more than, -er |
| 38 | nhưng | 42,377 | but, yet |
| 39 | như | 42,027 | like, for example, as, such as, similar |
| 40 | khoa học | 41,825 | science, scientific |
| 41 | theo | 39,392 | to follow, believe in; according to, on, at, in |
| 42 | anh | 39,254 | (1) young man, elder brother, first cousin (son of parent’s older sibling),... |
| 43 | việc | 38,311 | affair, thing, work, job, matter, business, idea |
| 44 | hai | 36,281 | two; both |
| 45 | sẽ | 35,228 | (future tense marker), shall, will |
| 46 | sau | 32,878 | again; next; after, behind, afterwards |
| 47 | cô | 32,835 | (1) aunt (father’s sister); Miss (form of address for a young lady), etc.; ... |
| 48 | còn | 32,417 | (1) to be, remain, be left, have left; (2) also, as for, still, in addition |
| 49 | nhất | 32,340 | one; (the) first, most |
| 50 | làm | 32,035 | to do, work, make, function as, serve; to cause something to happen |
| 51 | khác | 30,633 | another, different; to differ from |
| 52 | bởi | 30,457 | because of, on account of, by (means of) |
| 53 | dân số | 30,145 | population |
| 54 | mà | 30,106 | but, which, where, that, and |
| 55 | miêu tả | 29,671 | to describe, define, represent |
| 56 | mình | 29,415 | body, oneself, I, we (inclusive) |
| 57 | do | 29,313 | because of, caused by, due to; derived from; on; by (a person); to derive fro... |
| 58 | rằng | 28,749 | that; to answer, speak up |
| 59 | phải | 28,638 | (1) correct, right (opposite of left), right (opposite of wrong); (2) must, h... |
| 60 | bằng | 28,544 | (1) equal to, the same as, even, level, flat, calm, peaceful, safe; (2) to us... |
| 61 | hoặc | 28,464 | or |
| 62 | sử dụng | 28,262 | to use, employ |
| 63 | chỉ | 28,202 | (1) only; (2) to lead; (3) to point, indicate, show, point out; (4) thread |
| 64 | lại | 27,705 | (1) again; against, over again, back towards; resume, re-; (2) to come, reach... |
| 65 | mô tả | 26,922 | to describe; description |
| 66 | lớn | 26,298 | big, elder, large, loud |
| 67 | rất | 26,166 | very, quite |
| 68 | thành | 25,026 | (1) citadel, fortress, wall; (2) to, into; (3) to succeed; (4) to become; (5)... |
| 69 | cùng | 24,903 | same, together; to act together (with), and; to follow |
| 70 | sau đó | 24,253 | after that, afterwards, later |
| 71 | mới | 23,889 | new, fresh, recent, first; only then, have just |
| 72 | thì | 23,695 | (1) time; (2) then, as for, however, in that case, certainly, for sure |
| 73 | vì | 23,606 | since, for, because of, due to, since |
| 74 | đó | 23,340 | that, those, there, that |
| 75 | cuộc | 23,121 | [CL for meetings, gatherings); office, action |
| 76 | bộ | 22,186 | (1) section, part department, ministry; (2) gear, part, device; (3) radical (... |
| 77 | chúng | 21,948 | group, people; (pluralizer for persons) |
| 78 | bà | 21,692 | grandmother; Mrs. (form of address for a woman) |
| 79 | tên | 21,539 | (1) name; named; (2) [CL for spies, robbers]; (3) arrow |
| 80 | số | 21,337 | (1) amount, number, figure, quantity, size (of clothing), digit, edition; dig... |
| 81 | quân | 21,214 | troops, army |
| 82 | thường | 20,463 | frequent, usual, ordinary, common, average, customary, normal; ordinarily |
| 83 | chính | 20,249 | main, principle, chief; self, own; exactly, just, precisely |
| 84 | ra | 20,244 | to go out, exit, give, issue, emit, leave |
| 85 | phần | 20,001 | part, section, portion, share |
| 86 | vẫn | 19,660 | still, yet |
| 87 | nước | 19,237 | country, nation, state; water, liquid (for drinking); gum(s) (flesh surroundi... |
| 88 | khoảng | 19,198 | approximately, around; distance |
| 89 | loại | 19,128 | (1) category, sort, kind, species; (2) to remove, reject, eliminate, fail |
| 90 | con | 19,064 | (1) [CL for animals and other small objects]; (2) child; you (said to a child... |
| 91 | cao | 19,020 | (1) tall, high; to be ~ tall, active; to excel; lofty, noble; (2) ointment |
| 92 | tới | 18,755 | to come, arrive, reach; until, to; next |
| 93 | nhà | 18,487 | (1) [CL for experts]; (2) building, house; (3) house, family, clan, home |
| 94 | đang | 18,255 | (present progressive marker) |
| 95 | tuy nhiên | 18,176 | however, but, yet |
| 96 | phim | 18,048 | film, movies |
| 97 | giữa | 17,693 | between, center, (in the) middle, among |
| 98 | hay | 17,234 | (1) interesting, well; or; (2) have the habit of doing; often, frequently |
| 99 | cách | 16,733 | (1) distant, distance from, separated by; (2) way, manner, fashion, method; (... |
| 100 | bắt đầu | 16,487 | start, begin, beginning; to start, begin |