Definition

Noun: 1. Ice: Water that has frozen and become solid due to being cooled to a very low temperature. This is the most common and general meaning. 2. Ice cube(s): A small, usually cube-shaped piece of ice, made for cooling drinks.

Usage

• Nước đá is an uncountable noun when referring to the substance in general (like "ice").
• It can be used as a countable noun when referring to individual pieces (like "ice cubes").
• It is commonly used to talk about cooling food and drinks, or about cold weather phenomena.

Examples

• General substance:
  • Quán nước đó bán cả cà phê nóng lẫn cà phê nước đá. (That drink shop sells both hot coffee and iced coffee.)
  • Đường trơn vì có nước đá. (The road is slippery because there is ice.)
• Individual pieces:
  • Cho hai viên nước đá vào ly của tôi. (Put two ice cubes in my glass.)
  • Anh ấy bỏ nước đá vào cốc bia. (He put ice in his beer glass.)

Advanced Usage / Nuances

• The phrase "nước đá" specifically refers to ice made by human action (in a freezer, ice maker). Natural ice, like on a frozen lake, can also be called "nước đá" but is often more specifically described (e.g., on roads).
• In some Southern Vietnamese dialects, "đá" alone is commonly used in casual speech to mean "ice" (e.g., = iced coffee).

Variants and Related Words

• Đá (noun): A common short form for "nước đá", especially in compound words or Southern dialect.
  • cà phê đá (iced coffee)
• Cục đá / Viên đá (noun): Literally "piece of stone/rock", but often used to mean "ice cube".
• Băng (noun): Can mean "ice", but often refers to a sheet or layer of ice (e.g., - ice on the lake) or is used in scientific/technical terms (e.g., - the Arctic).
• Tủ đá / Tủ lạnh (noun): Refrigerator/Freezer. "Thùng đựng nước đá" (ice-box) is an older or more specific term for a container to keep ice.

Synonyms

• Đá (short form)
• Băng (for ice in a sheet/layer or natural context)

Common Phrases / Collocations

• Cà phê nước đá / cà phê đá: Iced coffee.
• Trà đá: Iced tea.
• Nước ngọt có nước đá: Soft drink with ice.
• Bỏ nước đá / Cho đá vào: To put ice in (something).
• Máy làm nước đá: Ice maker.

noun

1. ice
   • thùng đựng nước đá
     ice-box