# Bằng / như / cũng … như: as … as in Vietnamese (A1)

> To say two things are equal, put the adjective first, then bằng, then what you compare with: Con cao bằng ba rồi.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/bang-nhu-as-as/ · Updated 2026-11-09

**as … as**

Pattern: `[A] + [adjective] + bằng / như + [B] · [A] + cũng + [adjective] + như + [B]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: bang, nhu, cung … nhu

To say two things are equal, put the adjective first, then *bằng*, then what you compare with: *Con cao bằng ba rồi.* You're as tall as me now (a father to his son; in Hà Nội, *bố*). *Bằng* means "equal". It is the everyday word for "as … as" with almost any adjective, and especially common for things you can measure: height, size, age, price. (*Bằng* also means "by" or "made of": *đi bằng xe máy*, go by motorbike.)

*Như* means "like". It fits when you describe how something seems rather than measure it: *đẹp như hoa* (as pretty as a flower). With *cũng* before the adjective, it means "just as … as": *Hôm nay cũng nóng như hôm qua.* It's just as hot today as yesterday.

To say two things are the same, end with *bằng nhau* (equal to each other): *Hai phòng này rộng bằng nhau.* To ask, use *có … không*: *Tiếng Việt có khó bằng tiếng Trung không?*

For "not as … as", put *không* before the adjective and keep *bằng*: *Không khó bằng.* It's not as hard. For "more … than", use *hơn* instead: *cao hơn*, taller.

## Examples

- Saigon: Con cao bằng ba rồi. | Hà Nội: Con cao bằng bố rồi. — You're as tall as me now. (a father to his son)
- Hai phòng này rộng bằng nhau. — These two rooms are the same size.
- Hôm nay cũng nóng như hôm qua. — It's just as hot today as yesterday.
- Tiếng Việt có khó bằng tiếng Trung không? — Is Vietnamese as hard as Chinese?
- Không khó bằng. — It's not as hard.

## Words in this pattern

- [bằng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/bang-by-means-of/#s_bang_equal): equal
- [như](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/nhu-like/#s_nhu_like): like

## Compare

- [Not as … as: không … bằng / như](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khong-bang-less/): not as … as
- [More … than: adjective + hơn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hon-more-than/): …er than
- [As, the way: như + sentence](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nhu-as/): as / as if
- [No different from: (chẳng) khác gì, khác nào](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/khac-gi-just-like/): just like, no different from

Previous in How much, and comparing: [A bit, slightly: hơi + adjective](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/hoi-a-bit/)
Next in How much, and comparing: [How you do it: adjective after the verb (nói giỏi, chạy nhanh)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/manner-adj-after-verb/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=grammar%3Au_bang_nhu_as_as
In the app, the grammar points from your own class material are kept with their status, and any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study.