How to Say No in Vietnamese: Learn to Speak Không Like a Native

So you want to learn how to say no in Vietnamese.

Maybe you're planning a trip to Vietnam and you've heard the street vendors can be... persistent. Maybe you're trying to learn Vietnamese and "no" feels like one of those words you should probably know before you learn how to say yes. (Smart, honestly.) Or maybe someone just asked you something in Vietnamese and you panicked.

Whatever brought you here, here's the thing: saying "no" in the Vietnamese language is weirdly complicated. Not grammatically—the grammar is actually pretty straightforward. The complicated part is cultural.

Let me explain.

The word you're looking for: Không

The most common way to say no in Vietnamese is không (the translation is simply "no" or "not").

Quick pronunciation note: that "kh" sound at the beginning isn't like the English word "k." It's a fricative—meaning air flows continuously through your mouth instead of being stopped and released. It sounds like a throaty "h," almost like you're clearing your throat gently. If you want to actually nail Vietnamese pronunciation and sound like a native speaker, our deep dive on Vietnamese tones covers this in much more detail.

Không uses the ngang (level) tone, which means no diacritic mark and a flat, middle-pitch delivery. Don't stress about getting this perfect immediately—Vietnamese people will understand you even if your tones are a bit off. But if you want to speak naturally eventually, the tone matters.

Here's what's interesting about không: it originally comes from the Chinese character 空, meaning "empty" or "void." The word evolved over centuries from meaning "empty" to "zero" to eventually becoming the standard negator in the Vietnamese language. This happened around the 17th century, when Western businessmen started arriving in Vietnam and the concept of "zero" became more commonly used in trade. Language is weird like that.

Không does triple duty (video explanation coming soon)

Unlike English where "no" and "not" are different words, không handles both jobs (plus a third one). Let's learn how each one works:

1. As a standalone "No":

2. As "not" in sentences:

3. As the number zero:

The grammar rule is simple: stick không before the verb or adjective to negate it. That's it. No conjugation changes, no auxiliary verbs, no weird exceptions. Vietnamese grammar doesn't mess around with that stuff—which is one reason many people find it easier to learn Vietnamese than other Asian languages.

Ways to say no without saying it directly

Vietnamese culture strongly values harmony and "saving face." What this means practically is that Vietnamese people often avoid saying a direct "no"—even when they absolutely mean "no."

A smile and a vague answer might actually be a refusal. "Let me think about it" often means "no." "That might be difficult" almost certainly means "no."

This isn't about being dishonest. It's about maintaining social harmony and not putting anyone in an uncomfortable position. Understanding this aspect of Vietnamese culture will save you a lot of confusion when you visit Vietnam or speak with native speakers.

Some indirect ways to express "no" without saying không:

If you're on the receiving end of these phrases, don't push for a direct answer. Just read the room. This lesson in cultural nuance is just as important as learning the word itself.

Polite ways to say no (common phrases you'll actually use)

Saying a bare không works, but it can sound abrupt. Here's what to use instead:

The essential phrase—learn this first:

This is your go-to for declining food, offers, purchases, whatever. Use it liberally. The cảm ơn (thank you) softens everything.

When you need to apologize:

Softer refusals:

With friends (casual):

How to say yes and no: Không vs. Chưa

There's another negation word you need to know when you learn Vietnamese: chưa (sounds like "choo-ah").

The difference matters more than you'd think:

This distinction actually matters in conversation. Listen to how native speakers use them differently:

When someone asks "Ăn cơm chưa?" ("Have you eaten yet?"—a common greeting in Vietnam), responding with "Chưa" is natural. Responding with "Không" would sound strange to native ears.

And for saying yes? The common ways to say yes in Vietnamese include "Có," "Dạ," "Vâng," and "Ừ"—but that's a whole other lesson. For now, just know that the yes-no system in the Vietnamese language works differently than in English.

The yes-no question structure you'll hear everywhere

Vietnamese has a distinctive way of forming yes-no questions that you'll encounter constantly. Once you learn how to say these, you'll recognize them in every video, show, and conversation:

Structure: Subject + có + verb + không?

Examples:

See how không appears at the end? It's essentially asking "...or not?" The có at the beginning can be dropped in casual speech, but the không at the end stays.

To answer negatively, you just say: Không.

To answer positively, you can say yes with: Có.

Essential phrases with không (with translation)

Here are the word combinations you'll actually use when you speak Vietnamese:

That phrase—không sao—is incredibly common and versatile. Someone bumps into you? Không sao. Someone thanks you? Không sao. Something went wrong but it's fine? Không sao. You'll hear it constantly once you start watching Vietnamese content or listening to how native speakers talk.

A note on being direct when you speak

Look, I've been talking about how Vietnamese culture prefers indirect communication. But here's the thing: as a foreigner learning the language, you're given a lot of grace.

If you say a direct "Không, cảm ơn" to a vendor, nobody's going to be offended. They know you're not a native speaker. The indirect stuff matters more when you're operating in Vietnamese professional or social contexts where relationships and hierarchy are at play.

For now? Learn the polite basics. "Không, cảm ơn" will serve you well in 90% of situations in Vietnam.

And if a particularly persistent vendor isn't taking the hint, crossing your arms in an X shape is apparently universally understood in Vietnam as a hard "no." Sometimes body language transcends words—no translation needed.

How to actually learn Vietnamese (beyond this lesson)

Knowing these phrases intellectually is one thing. Actually being able to use them when someone's talking to you in Vietnamese is another thing entirely.

The gap between "I studied this" and "I can use this" is where most language learners get stuck. You read a list of phrases, maybe make some flashcards, and then six months later you can't remember any of it because you never actually used it in context.

The fix isn't more studying. It's more exposure to the Vietnamese language in contexts where these words naturally appear—conversations, shows, videos, actual Vietnamese content where people are saying yes and no to each other in real situations. You need to listen to how native speakers actually talk, not just memorize word lists.

There's a whole world on YouTube and streaming platforms full of Vietnamese content—dramas, vlogs, interviews—where you can hear không and không sao and all these phrases used naturally. The problem is following along when you're still learning.

That's what Migaku solves. The browser extension gives you interactive subtitles on any video—click a word to see its translation, hear its sound, and add it to your review queue with one click. When you hear "không sao" in a Vietnamese drama, you grab it instantly. The transcript is right there. No pausing to look things up in a dictionary. The spaced repetition system handles memorization, and you get to learn Vietnamese from content you actually enjoy instead of sterile textbook dialogues.

Comment sections and language forums are full of people asking how to learn Vietnamese effectively. This is how—immersion-based learning that lets you absorb the language the way native speakers did, through real content. There's a free 10-day trial if you want to see how it works.

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