Vietnamese
/ˌviːət.nəˈmiːz/noun
Relating to Vietnam, its people, or its language; also a person from Vietnam.
Did you know?The name Vietnam is written in chữ Hán as 越南, using Sino-Vietnamese readings of characters meaning “Viet” and “south,” linking the modern country’s name to ancient East Asian naming traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
越
“Yue or Viet, an ancient name applied to peoples and states in southern China and the broader northern Southeast Asian region”
2nd Century BCE
Classical Chinese
南越
“Nanyue, literally “Southern Yue,” the name of an ancient kingdom in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam”
Medieval period
Sino-Vietnamese
Việt Nam
“A Sino-Vietnamese form meaning “Viet south” or “the southern Viet region””
19th Century
English
Vietnam
“The English geographical name adopted for the country now officially called Vietnam”
19th–20th Century
English
Vietnamese
“Vietnam plus the English adjectival and demonym suffix “-ese,” meaning relating to or originating from Vietnam”
Modern English
English
Vietnamese
“Relating to Vietnam, its people, culture, or language; or a person of Vietnamese origin”