# bác meaning in Vietnamese: you or I (A1)

> bác means “you or I” in Vietnamese. It can also mean parent's elder sibling. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/bac-elder/ · Updated 2026-10-31

**bác**: you or I · parent's elder sibling

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: bac

## 1. you or I (pronoun)

Someone a bit older than your parents, a man or a woman: you call them *bác* and yourself *con* (in Hà Nội *cháu*), and they call themselves *bác*.

- Saigon: Bác ơi, cho con hỏi chợ Bến Thành ở đâu vậy? | Hà Nội: Bác ơi, cho cháu hỏi chợ Bến Thành ở đâu ạ? — Excuse me, where is Bến Thành Market? (to someone older than your parents)
- Saigon: Bác là bạn của ba con. | Hà Nội: Bác là bạn của bố cháu. — I'm a friend of your dad's. (to a young person)

Level: A1

Grammar: [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/)

## 2. parent's elder sibling (noun)

uncle, aunt

An older brother or sister of your father or mother: *bác* works for a man or a woman.

- Bác tôi là bác sĩ. — My uncle is a doctor.
- Bác Hai là anh của ba tôi. — Uncle Hai is my dad's older brother.

Level: A1

Previous: [bà nội](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/ba-noi/)
Next: [bác sĩ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/bac-si/)

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