Hour in Vietnamese

In Vietnam, the concept of AM (Ante Meridiem) and PM (Post Meridiem) is not commonly used in daily life. Instead, Vietnam primarily uses the 24-hour clock system, especially in official documents, schedules, or public announcements.

In everyday conversations, Vietnamese people often use the 12-hour system, but they add specific words to indicate the time of day:

Sáng: Morning (AM, roughly 12:00 AM to 11:59 AM)

Chiều: Afternoon (PM, roughly 12:00 PM to 5:59 PM)

Tối: Evening (PM, roughly 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM)

Examples:

7:00 AM - 7 giờ sáng

3:00 PM - 3 giờ chiều

8:00 PM - 8 giờ tối

Although AM and PM are not officially used, most Vietnamese people are familiar with these terms, especially when dealing with electronic devices or documents using the 12-hour format.

*Basic Vocabulary

• Hour: Giờ
(Example: Một ngày có 24 giờ - A day has 24 hours.)
• Minute: Phút
(Example: Bây giờ là 3 giờ kém 5 phút - It’s 2:55.)
• Second: Giây
(Example: Đồng hồ bấm giờ hiển thị 10 giây - The stopwatch shows 10 seconds.)

• O'clock: Giờ đúng
(Example: Bây giờ là 7 giờ đúng - It’s exactly 7 o'clock.)

• Quarter: Một phần tư (15 minutes)
(Example: 9 giờ 15 phút - 9:15.)
• Half: Nửa giờ (30 minutes)
(Example: 10 giờ 30 phút - 10:30.)

*Expressions for Time

• Past: Hơn (used for times after the hour)

(Example: 6 giờ 10 phút - 6:10.)

• To: Kém (used for times before the next hour)

(Example: 7 giờ kém 5 phút - 6:55.)

• Midnight: Nửa đêm

(Example: Tôi thường đi ngủ lúc nửa đêm - I usually go to bed at midnight.)

• Midday / Noon: Buổi trưa

(Example: Bữa trưa vào lúc 12 giờ trưa - Lunch is at 12 noon.)

*Common Phrases Related to Time

• Set the clock: Chỉnh đồng hồ

• Check the time: Xem giờ

• Time zone: Múi giờ

• Daylight saving time: Giờ tiết kiệm ánh sáng ban ngày

• At the stroke of midnight: Đúng lúc nửa đêm

*Time-Telling Devices

• Clock: Đồng hồ treo tường

• Watch: Đồng hồ đeo tay

• Alarm clock: Đồng hồ báo thức

• Timer: Đồng hồ hẹn giờ

• Stopwatch: Đồng hồ bấm giờ

*Exact Time (O'clock)

Used when the time is exactly on the hour, with no minutes mentioned.

Structure: [Hour] + o’clock

Examples:

• It’s 7 o’clock. (Bây giờ là 7 giờ đúng.)

• It’s 12 o’clock. (Bây giờ là 12 giờ đúng.)

*Minutes Past the Hour (Past)

Used to express the number of minutes past the current hour.

Structure: [Minutes] + past + [Hour]

Examples:

• It’s ten past three. (Bây giờ là 3 giờ 10 phút.)

• It’s twenty past nine. (Bây giờ là 9 giờ 20 phút.)

*Minutes to the Hour (To)

Used to express the number of minutes before the upcoming hour.

Structure: [Minutes] + to + [Hour]

Examples:

• It’s ten to five. (Bây giờ là 5 giờ kém 10 phút.)

• It’s five to seven. (Bây giờ là 7 giờ kém 5 phút.)

*Half Past the Hour (Half past)

Used to express half an hour past the current hour.

Structure: Half past + [Hour]

Examples:

• It’s half past four. (Bây giờ là 4 giờ 30 phút.)

• It’s half past eleven. (Bây giờ là 11 giờ 30 phút.)

*Quarter of an Hour (Quarter)

• Quarter past: Used to express 15 minutes past the hour.

Structure: Quarter past + [Hour]

Examples:

It’s quarter past two. (Bây giờ là 2 giờ 15 phút.)

• Quarter to: Used to express 15 minutes before the upcoming hour.

Structure: Quarter to + [Hour]

Examples:

It’s quarter to eight. (Bây giờ là 8 giờ kém 15 phút.)

*24-Hour Clock (Military Time)

Used in military, aviation, or official schedules.

Examples:

• 14:00 → It’s two p.m. (2 giờ chiều.)

• 22:30 → It’s ten thirty p.m. (10 giờ 30 tối.)

*Other Time Expressions

• Noon: 12:00 PM (12 giờ trưa)

Example: It’s noon.

• Midnight: 12:00 AM (12 giờ đêm)

Example: It’s midnight.

• In the morning: From midnight to noon (0:00–12:00)

Example: It’s 9 in the morning. (9 giờ sáng.)

• In the afternoon: From noon to evening (12:00–18:00)

Example: It’s 3 in the afternoon. (3 giờ chiều.)

• In the evening: From evening to night (18:00–21:00)

Example: It’s 7 in the evening. (7 giờ tối.)

• At night: From night onwards (21:00 and later)

Example: It’s 11 at night. (11 giờ đêm.)