Definition

1. Noun:

   • Garbage, refuse, litter, rubbish: "Rác" refers to small, dirty, and worthless items scattered indoors or outdoors, such as straw, paper scraps, torn cloth, etc. It denotes waste material that is discarded.
   • (Figurative, derogatory) Something/someone considered worthless or contemptible: Used to express extreme disrespect or disregard for a person or thing.

2. Adjective (Less common):

   • Dirty, littered: Describes a state of being made unclean by scattered waste.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Quét cho sạch rác. (Sweep all the garbage away.)
  • Đừng vứt rác bừa bãi ra đường. (Don't litter trash on the street.)
  • Họ coi người như rác. (They treat people like garbage/with utter contempt.)
  • Anh ta tiêu tiền như rác. (He spends money like water/wastefully.)

• Adjective:

  • Vứt giấy rác cả sàn nhà. (Throwing paper litter all over the floor [making the floor dirty].)

Advanced Usage

• "Đồ rác rưởi": A strong insult meaning "trashy person/thing," "scum," or "good-for-nothing."

  • Hắn ta đúng là đồ rác rưởi của xã hội. (He is truly the scum of society.)

• "Rác thải": A more formal compound noun meaning "waste," often used in environmental contexts (e.g., rác thải nhựa - plastic waste, rác thải sinh hoạt - domestic waste). (Note: This is a compound listed separately as per instructions.)

Variants and Related Words

• Rác rưởi (n): A collective term for assorted garbage or worthless things/people; often has a stronger, more derogatory connotation than "rác" alone.
• Rác thải (n): Waste, refuse (compound word).
• Rác hữu cơ (n): Organic waste (compound word).
• Rác vô cơ (n): Inorganic waste (compound word).

Synonyms

• Garbage (n): Rác thải, chất thải.
• Trash (n): Rác, đồ bỏ đi.
• Litter (n): Rác vứt bừa bãi.
• Refuse (n): Rác thải, đồ phế thải.
• Waste (n): Chất thải, rác thải.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Vứt rác (v): To throw away trash/garbage.

  • Phải vứt rác đúng nơi quy định. (You must dispose of trash in designated places.)

• Đổ rác (v): To take out the trash, to dump garbage.

  • Em nhớ đi đổ rác nhé. (Remember to take out the trash.)

• Thu gom rác (v): To collect garbage.

  • Xe thu gom rác chạy mỗi sáng. (The garbage collection truck comes every morning.)

Related Idioms

• Coi/coi như rác: To treat someone/something with utter contempt, as if they are worthless.

  • Sau khi giàu có, anh ta coi bạn bè cũ như rác. (After becoming rich, he treated his old friends like dirt.)

• Tiêu tiền như rác: To spend money wastefully, extravagantly, or without thought.

  • Cô ấy mua sắm và tiêu tiền như rác. (She shops and spends money like it's going out of style.)

noun

1. garbage; reguse; litter; rubbish
   • quét cho sạch rác
     to sweep all litter away