Definitions

1. Noun:

   • Aunt; auntie (father's sister): A familiar or affectionate term for a paternal aunt.
   • Young girl; miss: A polite or familiar term of address or reference for a young woman or girl, often used in Central Vietnam.

2. Verb:

   • To flirt; to court; to make love to: (Informal, colloquial) To behave amorously towards a woman, to woo or try to win her affection.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Aunt):

  • Cháu chào o! (Hello, Auntie!)
  • O tôi ở Huế. (My aunt lives in Hue.)

• Noun (Young girl):

  • Các o làng Đông Hội hát hay lắm. (The young ladies of Dong Hoi village sing very well.)
  • O ấy tên là gì? (What is that young lady's name?)

• Verb (To flirt):

  • Anh ta đang o cô gái hàng xóm. (He is flirting with the neighbor girl.)
  • Đừng có o người ta nữa! (Stop flirting with her!)

Advanced Usage

• "O con gái": A young girl; a maiden.

  • Làng tôi có nhiều o con gái xinh. (My village has many beautiful young girls.)

• "Ông chú bà o": A phrase meaning "relatives" or specifically "uncles and aunts" (paternal side), often used to refer to one's extended family network.

  • Việc này phải bàn với ông chú bà o. (This matter must be discussed with the uncles and aunts / the extended family.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cô: The standard, more formal word for "aunt" (father's sister) or "Miss". "O" is a regional/colloquial variant of this.
• Dì: Aunt (mother's sister).
• Bác: Aunt/Uncle (parent's older sibling).
• Chị: Older sister; also a polite term for a slightly older woman.

Synonyms

• Noun (Aunt): Cô, dì (context-dependent), thím (aunt - wife of father's younger brother).
• Noun (Young girl): Cô gái, thiếu nữ, cô bé.
• Verb (To flirt): Tán tỉnh, ve vãn, tán.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "O mèo": (Slang) To flirt or court in a persistent, perhaps annoying way.
  • Thằng đó suốt ngày đi o mèo con bé hàng xóm. (That guy spends all day pestering the neighbor girl with his flirting.)

Notes on Usage

• Regional Use: The use of "o" as "aunt" or "young lady" is particularly common in the dialects of Central Vietnam (e.g., Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình).
• Register: When meaning "aunt" or "young lady", it is familiar and colloquial. When used as a verb meaning "to flirt", it is informal and can be considered slangy or slightly vulgar depending on context.
• Capitalization: When used as a proper noun (e.g., in direct address: "O Lan"), it is often capitalized.

verb

1. to flirt;
   • to make love tọ

noun

1. aunt; auntie (father's sister); young girl
   • o con gái
     a young girl