# Anh ấy: he / she / it in Vietnamese (A1)

> To say "he" or "she", take the family word you'd use for that person and add ấy (that): anh ấy for a man you'd call anh, chị ấy for a woman you'd call…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/anh-ay-he/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**he / she / it**

Pattern: `[kinship word] + ấy · nó (a child, an animal, a thing) · chúng nó`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: anh ay, chi ay, no, chung no

To say "he" or "she", take the family word you'd use for that person and add *ấy* (that): *anh ấy* for a man you'd call *anh*, *chị ấy* for a woman you'd call *chị*, and likewise *cô ấy*, *chú ấy*, *em ấy*. So the word for "he" also shows how old he is compared with the speaker. Often people simply use the name: *Chị Lan đi chợ rồi.*

This is the form for writing, for Hà Nội, and for careful speech everywhere. In everyday Saigon speech the two syllables often fold into one: *ảnh*, *chỉ*, though you'll hear *anh ấy* there too.

*Nó* means "it" for animals and things: *Con mèo này dễ thương, nó ngủ suốt.* For people, it's for children, and among close friends for someone your age or younger: *Con tôi bảy tuổi, nó học lớp hai.* The plural is *chúng nó*, in Saigon *tụi nó*.

Don't use *nó* on its own for someone older than you or someone you should respect: it sounds rude. For an adult you don't know well, *anh ấy*, *chị ấy* or the name is safe. For several adults, use *các anh ấy*, *các chị ấy* or *họ*.

## A common mistake

✗ Cô Hoa bán cơm tấm. Nó nấu ngon lắm.

✓ Cô Hoa bán cơm tấm. Cô ấy nấu ngon lắm.

*Nó* is for children, animals and things. For an older person, use *cô ấy* or her name.

## Examples

- Anh ấy là bạn của em. — He's my friend.
- Chị ấy làm ở ngân hàng. — She works at a bank.
- Con tôi bảy tuổi, nó học lớp hai. — My child is seven; he's in second grade.
- Con mèo này dễ thương, nó ngủ suốt. — This cat is cute; it sleeps all the time.

## Words in this pattern

- [chúng nó](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chung-no/#s_chung_no): they
- [nó](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/no-he-she-it/#s_no_he_she_it): he/she/it

## Compare

- [He, she the Southern way: ảnh, chỉ, ổng, bả](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/anh-chi-folded/): he / she (spoken Southern)
- [You all, they: các anh, các chị ấy, họ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cac-plural-you/): plural you / they
- [You and I are family words: anh, chị, em, cô, chú, ba / mẹ and con, thầy / cô and em](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/address-kinship/): address by age and relationship

Previous in Talking to and about people: [He, she the Southern way: ảnh, chỉ, ổng, bả](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/anh-chi-folded/)
Next in Talking to and about people: [mình: friendly I, we with you, and oneself](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/minh-i-we/)

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