# Hắn / ả: he / she (contemptuous) in Vietnamese (B2)

> Hắn, y and ả all mean "he" or "she", with distance or contempt built in. They're the words a writer uses for someone the reader isn't meant to like: a…

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/han-negative/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**he / she (contemptuous)**

Pattern: `hắn · y · ả`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: han, a

*Hắn*, *y* and *ả* all mean "he" or "she", with distance or contempt built in. They're the words a writer uses for someone the reader isn't meant to like: a thief, a cheat, a villain.

*Hắn* is the widest: "he", sometimes "she", in novels, stories and news. *Hắn ta* is a common longer form. In some novels it's simply how the narrator refers to the main character, with little scorn. *Y* is "he" in crime reports, for a male suspect: *Tại cơ quan công an, y khai nhận …* At the police station, he confessed … For a woman, the same reports use *thị*. *Ả* is "she" with a sneer, in stories and tabloid news.

So you'll mainly read these words, not hear them. In Saigon speech, scorn sounds different: *thằng đó* (that guy) and *con đó* (that woman) are blunt and rude, and *thằng chả* and *con mẻ* are the Southern versions, scornful or, between friends, teasing. In Huế and north-central provinces such as Nghệ An, *hắn* is an ordinary "he" or "she", without the edge.

Never use any of these for someone you respect: a dictionary may list *hắn* as plain "he", but it insults the person. For a neutral "he" or "she", use *anh ấy* or *chị ấy* (in Saigon, *ảnh* and *chỉ*), the person's family word, or their name.

## A common mistake

✗ Thầy giáo tôi rất tốt. Hắn dạy hay lắm.

✓ Thầy giáo tôi rất tốt. Thầy dạy hay lắm.

*Hắn* carries scorn, so it insults the teacher. For someone you respect, use their family word or title, here *thầy*.

## Examples

- Tại cơ quan công an, y khai nhận đã lấy trộm ba chiếc xe máy. — At the police station, he admitted stealing three motorbikes.
- Ả dùng tài khoản giả để lừa hàng chục người mua hàng qua mạng. — She used fake accounts to cheat dozens of people shopping online.
- Saigon: Hắn đứng chờ ở đầu hẻm, mắt không rời cửa nhà bà Tư. | Hà Nội: Hắn đứng chờ ở đầu ngõ, mắt không rời cửa nhà bà Tư. — He waited at the mouth of the alley, his eyes fixed on Mrs Tư's door.
- Saigon: Thằng chả hứa trả tiền tuần trước mà giờ vẫn chưa thấy đâu. | Hà Nội: Thằng cha ấy hứa trả tiền tuần trước mà giờ vẫn chưa thấy đâu. — That guy promised to pay me back last week, and there's still no sign of it.

## Compare

- [He, she, it: anh ấy, chị ấy, and nó for children and things](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/anh-ay-he/): he / she / it

Previous in Talking to and about people: [People, they (in general): người ta](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/nguoi-ta/)

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