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

> chị means “you or I” in Vietnamese. It can also mean older sister. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chi-sister/ · Updated 2026-10-31

**chị**: you or I · older sister

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: chi

## 1. you or I (pronoun)

A woman a little older than you: you call her *chị* and yourself *em*, and she calls herself *chị*.

*Chị ơi!* is also how you call over a waitress or a woman at a stall.

- Saigon: Chị ơi, cho em một ly trà đá. | Hà Nội: Chị ơi, cho em một cốc trà đá. — Excuse me, an iced tea for me, please. (to a woman a bit older)
- Chị tên là Lan, còn em? — I'm Lan, and you? (a woman to someone younger)

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. older sister (noun)

Vietnamese always says which: *chị* is an older sister, *em gái* a younger one.

- Chị của em đang ở Mỹ. — My older sister is in America at the moment.
- Chị tôi là y tá. — My older sister is a nurse.

Level: A1

Previous: [chỉ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chi-she/)
Next: [chị ấy](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chi-ay/)

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