Definitions

1. Noun:
   • Father, dad: A man who has a child or children, in relation to his child. Used as a term of address or reference.
   • Priest, Father: A title used to address or refer to a Catholic priest, or used by a priest to refer to himself when speaking to parishioners.
   • (Vulgar/Slang) Damn, curse; guy, fellow: Used in some exclamatory curses or, informally, to refer to a man (often with a negative or neutral connotation).

Usage Examples

• Noun (Father):
  • Cha tôi là bác sĩ. (My father is a doctor.)
  • "Cha ơi, mua cho con quyển sách này đi." ("Dad, buy me this book.")
• Noun (Priest):
  • Thưa Cha, con muốn xưng tội. (Father, I want to confess.)
  • Vị Cha ấy rất nhân từ. (That priest is very kind.)
• Noun (Vulgar/Slang):
  • Cha đời! Tôi lại quên chìa khóa. (Damn it! I forgot my keys again.)
  • Cha ấy nói chuyện khoác lác quá. (That guy talks too boastfully.)

Advanced Usage

• "Cha nào con nấy" / "Cha sinh mẹ dưỡng": Like father, like son. / (Literally: The father gives birth, the mother raises.) Highlights the influence of parents.
  • Nó cũng bướng bỉnh y như bố nó, đúng là cha nào con nấy. (He's as stubborn as his dad, truly like father, like son.)
• "Cha chung không ai khóc": Everybody's business is nobody's business. Refers to communal property or responsibility that no one takes care of.
  • Cái máy tính văn phòng hỏng lâu rồi mà không ai sửa, đúng là cha chung không ai khóc. (The office computer has been broken for a long time but no one fixes it, a classic case of common property being neglected.)
• "Đức Cha": A title for a Bishop in the Catholic Church (Right Reverend Father).
  • Đức Cha sẽ chủ trì thánh lễ. (The Bishop will preside over the mass.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ba, bố, tía: Other common, neutral words for "father/dad" in Vietnamese.
• Thầy: An older, more formal or respectful term for "father," also used for teachers and masters.
• Bác, chú: Uncle; sometimes used by children to address older male family friends or relatives.

Synonyms

• Phụ thân (formal): Father.
• Bố: Dad, father (common in Northern Vietnam).
• Tía: Dad, father (common in Southern Vietnam).

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Cha già con cọc: (Literally: An old father, a stunted child.) Suggests hardship when parents are old and children are still young.
• Cha truyền con nối: Handed down from father to child; hereditary.
• Con hơn cha là nhà có phúc: It is a family's blessing when the child surpasses the father.
• Cha hươu mẹ vượn: (Literally: Father deer, mother gibbon.) A derogatory term for a liar or an untrustworthy person of unknown origin.

noun

1. Father, dad
   • Đức Cha
     Right Reverend Father
2. Damn, curse
   • Cha đời cái áo rách này Mất chúng mất bạn vì mày áo ơi
     Damn this ragged jacket which has cost me friends and acquaintances
   • cha nào con nấy
     like father like son
   • cha căng chú kiết
     of unknown origin; not to be trusted
   • cha chung không ai khóc
     everybody's business is nobody's business