Definition

Noun: 1. A device or structure for cooking food; a stove, cooker, or hearth. This is the primary meaning, referring to the physical object used for cooking, such as a gas stove, electric cooker, or traditional wood/charcoal hearth. 2. A room or area where food is prepared; a kitchen. This meaning extends from the location of the primary cooking appliance. 3. (Historical/Archaic) A male cook. In the past, this term specifically referred to a man employed to cook, often as a domestic servant. 4. (Archaic) A household; a family unit. This usage originates from the idea of a family sharing one cooking fire or kitchen. It can also refer to a hearth as a symbol of the home. 5. (Historical) A low-ranking soldier in the feudal or colonial French army. This is an obsolete, context-specific meaning.

Usage Examples

• As a cooking appliance:
  • Mẹ tôi đang nấu ăn ở bếp. (My mother is cooking at the stove.)
  • Nhà mới của họ có một cái bếp từ rất hiện đại. (Their new house has a very modern induction cooker.)
• As a kitchen:
  • Căn bếp này rất sáng sủa và sạch sẽ. (This kitchen is very bright and clean.)
  • Chị ấy đang dọn dẹp trong bếp. (She is cleaning in the kitchen.)
• (Historical) As a male cook:
  • Ông cụ ngày xưa từng làm bếp cho một gia đình giàu có. (The old man used to work as a cook for a wealthy family.)
• (Archaic) As a household:
  • Làng đó có khoảng một trăm bếp. (That village has about one hundred households.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngồi bên bếp": To sit by the cooking fire/hearth. This phrase evokes a cozy, traditional, or intimate domestic scene.
  • Bà thường kể chuyện cho chúng tôi nghe khi chúng tôi ngồi bên bếp. (Grandma would often tell us stories when we sat by the hearth.)
• "chuyện góc bếp": Kitchen talk; gossip or casual conversation that happens in the kitchen, often implying informal or private matters.
  • Đó chỉ là chuyện góc bếp, đừng để ý làm gì. (That's just kitchen gossip, don't pay any attention to it.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nhà bếp (n): A more formal or complete term for "kitchen". It literally means "kitchen house".
• Đầu bếp (n): Chef, head cook. This is the modern, standard term for a professional cook, regardless of gender.
• Bếp trưởng (n): Head chef, executive chef.
• Phụ bếp (n): Kitchen helper, commis chef.
• Bếp núc (n): A colloquial term referring collectively to cooking activities, kitchen work, or the kitchen area itself. (e.g., - kitchen chores).

Synonyms

• For "kitchen": Gian bếp, nhà bếp, phòng bếp.
• For "stove/cooker": Lò, bếp lò.
• For "cook" (modern): Đầu bếp, người nấu ăn.

Related Phrases (Compound Words)

• Bếp ga: Gas stove.
• Bếp điện: Electric stove/cooker.
• Bếp từ: Induction cooker.
• Bếp củi: Wood-burning stove/hearth.
• Bếp than: Charcoal stove.
• Làm bếp: To cook, to do the cooking.
• Khu bếp: Kitchen area.

noun

1. Cooking-stove, cooking range
2. Cooking fire
   • ngồi bên bếp
     to sit by a cooking fire
3. Kitchen, cook-house
   • ngăn một gian làm bếp
     to partition a room for kitchen
4. Male cook
   • làm bồi, làm bếp
     to hire oneself as a male servant, a male cook
5. Household
   • nhà này có hai bếp
     there are two households in this house
6. Feudal soldier
7. Private first class