# hư meaning in Vietnamese: broken (A1)

> hư means “broken, out of order” in Vietnamese. It can also mean naughty. Examples with audio, in Northern and Southern wording.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/hu-broken/ · Updated 2026-10-18

**hư**: broken · naughty

Level: A1 (our estimate)

Typed without accents: hu

## 1. broken (adjective)

broken, out of order

Southern; Hà Nội says *hỏng*. Food that has gone off is *hư* too: *sữa hư rồi*.

- Saigon: Máy lạnh nhà tui hư rồi. | Hà Nội: Điều hòa nhà tôi hỏng rồi. — Our air conditioner is broken.
- Saigon: Xe em bị hư, chắc phải đi sửa. | Hà Nội: Xe em bị hỏng, chắc phải đi sửa. — My motorbike's broken down; I'll have to get it fixed.

In Hà Nội you say [hỏng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/hong-broken/#s_hong_broken).

Level: A2 · Saigon only

## 2. naughty (adjective)

naughty, badly behaved

Said of children, by parents and grandparents.

- Con không được hư nha. — Don't be naughty, sweetie.
- Bé này hư quá! — This little one is so naughty!

Level: A1

Previous: [huyền](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/huyen-huyen-tone/)
Next: [hứa](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/hua-promise/)

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