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

> cháu means “you or I” in Vietnamese. It can also mean younger relative. Examples with audio.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chau-grandchild/ · Updated 2026-10-31

**cháu**: you or I · younger relative

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: chau

## 1. you or I (pronoun)

I or you, between a child-generation person and someone of their parents' or grandparents' age.

In the North, a younger adult is *cháu* to a neighbour of their parents' age, where the South says *con*.

- Cháu chào bác ạ. — Hello. (to someone older than your parents)
- Cháu mấy tuổi rồi? — How old are you? (to a child)

In Saigon you say [con](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/con-child/#lx_con_pron).

Level: A1 · Hà Nội only

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. younger relative (noun)

grandchild, nephew, niece

Grandchild, nephew and niece are all *cháu*.

- Bà tôi có sáu đứa cháu. — My grandmother has six grandchildren.
- Đây là cháu tôi. — This is my niece.

Level: A1

Previous: [chào tạm biệt](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chao-tam-biet/)
Next: [chắc](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chac-probably/)

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