thơm.

Definition

Noun (dialectal, Southern Vietnam):
- Pineapple: A tropical plant with a short stem and rigid, spiny leaves, cultivated for its sweet, juicy, edible fruit. This term is commonly used in Southern Vietnam, whereas "dứa" or "khóm" are used in other regions.
Adjective:
- Fragrant / Sweet-smelling: Having a pleasant, often sweet, smell.
- Savory / Appetizing: Having a pleasant, delicious taste or smell, especially of food.
- Fresh / Not spoiled: Used to describe food, especially rice, that is still good to eat and has not developed an off smell.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- Mẹ mua một quả thơm về làm nước ép. (Mom bought a pineapple to make juice.)
Adjective:
- Căn phòng này rất thơm mùi hoa. (This room smells very fragrant of flowers.)
- Món cà ri đó ăn thơm lắm. (That curry tastes very savory.)
- Gạo này vẫn còn thơm, chưa bị hôi. (This rice is still fresh, not spoiled yet.)

Advanced Usage

"thơm tho": An adjective meaning fresh, clean, and pleasant-smelling, often used for people or clothes.
- Sau khi tắm, cậu bé thơm tho. (After bathing, the boy smelled fresh and clean.)
"thơm ngát": An adjective meaning intensely or diffusely fragrant.
- Hoa nhài tỏa hương thơm ngát. (The jasmine flowers diffuse an intense fragrance.)

Variants and Related Words

Thơm phức (adj): Describes something emitting a very strong, delicious smell, typically of food.
- Bánh mì mới ra lò thơm phức. (The freshly baked bread smells deliciously strong.)
Hương thơm (n): Fragrance, aroma, scent.
- Hương thơm của cà phê. (The aroma of coffee.)

Synonyms

Related Idioms

"Miếng ăn là miếng tồi tàn, đồng tiền bát gạo thơm tho ngàn năm": A proverb suggesting that while a meal is temporary, money and rice (representing sustenance and resources) are eternally valuable and "fragrant" (i.e., honorable).
"Đầu xanh có tội, tóc bạc cũng phải thơm": A saying implying that even a young person who has done wrong must eventually become "fragrant" (i.e., virtuous and respected) with age.

Từ chứa "thơm."