Definition

1. Prefix:
   • Used before the numbers 1 through 10 to denote the days of a lunar month: "Mồng" is a traditional Vietnamese prefix placed before the numbers one to ten (một, hai, ba, ... mười) to specify the first ten days of a lunar month. It is equivalent to the English ordinal suffixes "-st", "-nd", "-rd", and "-th".
   • (Dialectal) Comb (of a rooster): In some dialects, "mồng" can also mean the fleshy crest on a rooster's head, synonymous with the standard word "mào".

Usage Examples

• As a date prefix:

  • Tết Nguyên Đán thường vào mồng một tháng Giêng. (Lunar New Year usually falls on the first day of the first lunar month.)
  • Hẹn gặp bạn vào mồng năm Tết. (I'll meet you on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.)
  • Lễ hội diễn ra từ mồng ba đến mồng mười. (The festival takes place from the third to the tenth [of the lunar month].)

• Dialectal meaning (comb):

  • Con gà trống có cái mồng đỏ chót. (The rooster has a bright red comb.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mồng một": Specifically refers to the first day of a lunar month. It is the most common and fixed usage.

  • Mồng một hàng tháng, bà tôi thường đi chùa. (On the first day of every lunar month, my grandmother goes to the pagoda.)

• "Ngày mồng": A slightly more formal or written way to refer to these specific dates.

  • Công văn ghi rõ hạn chót là ngày mồng 8. (The document clearly states the deadline is the 8th [of the lunar month].)

Variants and Related Words

• Mào (noun): The standard word for "comb" (of a bird). This is the more common term compared to the dialectal use of "mồng".
  • Mào gà (rooster's comb)

Synonyms

• Ngày thứ ...: (day number ...). This is a more modern, calendar-neutral way to state a date but lacks the traditional lunar calendar specificity of "mồng".
  • Mồng năm ≈ ngày thứ năm (the fifth day)

Notes on Usage

• Specific Context: The word "mồng" is almost exclusively used in the context of the traditional lunar calendar (âm lịch). It is not used for dates in the solar calendar (dương lịch). For example, you say (May 1st) for the solar calendar, but for the lunar calendar.
• Limited Range: It is only used for the numbers 1 through 10 (mồng một đến mồng mười). For days from the 11th onward, you simply use the number (e.g., ).
• Formality: Its use is traditional and remains common in spoken language, festivals, and historical contexts. In very formal modern writing, "ngày" is often preferred.

1. (used on front of dates of a lunnar month's firt ten days) -st, -nd, -rd,
2. th
   • Mồng một
     The first
   • Mồng hai
     The second
   • Mồng ba
     The third
   • Mồng mười tháng giêng
     The tenth of the first lunar month.
3. (địa phương) như mào