ơi Is An Endearing Word In Vietnamese

ơi is an endearing word in Vietnamese

• by Elisabeth Ruth (Thảo)
• 8 January 2014
• 10 Comments

ơi is one of my favourite Vietnamese words.

Why do Vietnamese people say ơi?

Let’s look at the most common uses of the Vietnamese word ơi.

1. Em ơi

(Or anh ơi or chị ơi.)

A common phrase and essential to anyone spending time in Vietnam, yelling ‘anh ơi’ or ’em ơi’ at a waiter to get his attention sounds rude to an English speaker’s ear because the word ‘oi’ in English has negative connotations.

Not so, for ơi. It’s used all the time for getting someone’s attention but also can be used when talking to someone – such as to address your teacher.

I miss this simple but clear way to get someone’s attention. In English the best we have is ‘excuse me’.

2. Trời ơi

If you spend any time in the south of Vietnam, you’ll hear a universal exclamation trời ơi.

Literally speaking, ơi is used when addressing the heavens. This meanis something like OMG or “heavens!”.

This southern phrase is a mild phrase, widely used by young and old alike.

In the north you might hear ối giời ơi.

3. To show affection

So far we’ve seen ơi used to get attention.

It may surprise you that ơi is used as a term of affection. Between parents and children. Between friends. Between lovers.

Calling your special someone ’em ơi’ or ‘anh ơi’ is actually very sweet and endearing! Like saying ‘dear’.

Related post: The Quick Guide to Vietnamese names, titles and what to call someone

Over to you: Did you know all of these meanings of ơi?

Tags:Culture

10 thoughts on “ơi is an endearing word in Vietnamese”

1. Daynne@TravelnLass 14 January 2014 at 03:15 Reply

   Most interesting Ruth. Turns out – “em ơi” was the very first Vietnamese expression I learned (from my VN chum Hang).

   And it never occurred to me that it might be rude ‘cuz I presumed it was much like the waiter attention/check-getting gesture in Latin America where one purses one’s lips and makes an inward sucking “kiss” sound.

   Furthermore – I only learned the “em” version (never before heard of an “anh” variation) – likely b/c I’m so old, my friend Hang knew that I’d never have use for a version addressing an older person(?) 😉

2. 1. Ruth Elisabeth 14 January 2014 at 10:47 Reply

      It’s a bit murky, but if you’re in the same age bracket it’s polite to use anh and chị. I address wait staff, bank tellers this way to be polite unless I’m certain someone is quite a bit younger than me.

      Yes most of the time em would be correct for you but say if you encounter a lady in the market who’s a similar age range, it’s more polite to call her chị.

   2. 1. Daynne@TravelnLass 14 January 2014 at 10:53 Reply

         Thanks for the added tip. But of course I’m soon (happily – can’t WAIT!) to be struggling instead with Senor, Senora and Senorita. 😉

         (I booked my flight to Ecuador hoy!)

   3. Regan Nguyen 28 February 2019 at 01:41 Reply

      what is Anh ơi means? does it mean brother or oh?

      (im not good with Vietnamese)

   4. 1. Elisabeth Ruth (Thảo) 28 February 2019 at 07:01 Reply

         How to translate it depends on the situation. It can mean “brother, dear” or “boyfriend/husband, dear” (especially with soft intonation) but in other situations, ơi is just a way of calling attention. In a restaurant for example, it is the normal and polite waiting of calling the attention of an older, male waiter.

3. Simon 10 August 2019 at 23:25 Reply

   Thảo ơi,

   I recently stumbled on your great site, when I was looking for the correct diacritic mark for ơi. I lived in Saigon for many years and speak some Vietnamese, although it is embarrassingly little considering how long I was there.

   I know most of the polite forms of address and am always very careful about whether or not to address an older women as bà. I usually err on the side of caution and use cô.

   I have a question though. Several of my female friends have told me that it is not appropriate for me, as a male, to say ” chi ơi ” when addressing a younger female. They say I should use ” em ơi ” instead.

   What is your opinion?

4. 1. Elisabeth Ruth (Thảo) 15 August 2019 at 17:36 Reply

      Hi Simon,

      “Em” is correct for people younger than you, for both female and male.

      As a man, if you’re not sure if a woman is older or younger than you, it’s of course more flattering (usually!) to assume she’s younger – so, “em” rather than “chi” as a default.

5. Jason 12 February 2020 at 20:23 Reply

   Is there any evidence to show that Oi derived from a Portuguese word for hi Oy or oi ?

6. 1. Elisabeth Ruth (Thảo) 14 February 2020 at 19:16 Reply

      I don’t think so. As far as I’m aware there hasn’t been any Portuguese influence on Vietnam.

7. Christina 27 October 2025 at 16:34 Reply

   I’ve been watching a lot of Vietnamese videos lately and I also see and hear them using it when in distress or angry too. Like a son is leaving the house and his mother tries to stop him yelling chi ơi Trời ơi, or even ối giời ơi when they are searching for someone. I watched one last night with a young girl searching for another young girl who abandoned her baby she was yelling Ahn ơi A lot. Can you explain why the distress use s well as affection?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

Comment *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Customize Reject All Accept All Powered by ✖ ... show more ► Necessary Cookies Standard Necessary cookies enable essential site features like secure log-ins and consent preference adjustments. They do not store personal data. None ► Functional Cookies Remark Functional cookies support features like content sharing on social media, collecting feedback, and enabling third-party tools. None ► Analytical Cookies Remark Analytical cookies track visitor interactions, providing insights on metrics like visitor count, bounce rate, and traffic sources. None ► Advertisement Cookies Remark Advertisement cookies deliver personalized ads based on your previous visits and analyze the effectiveness of ad campaigns. None ► Unclassified Cookies Remark Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies. None Reject All Save My Preferences Accept All Powered by