A few unfamiliar words on a Vietnamese sign don't bother you. The one familiar one helps you.
TUYỂN NHÂN VIÊN . You don't know nhân viên and don't need to. Tuyển already speaks for itself, that someone is being hired here.
A sign doesn't have many purposes. It can sell, rent, prohibit, request, or communicate something. Therefore, it's enough to recognize the word that reveals its intention.
Pointer words: What's going on here
tuyển - almost certainly a vacancy, they are looking for someone to work
cho thuê — they are renting something out: a room, an apartment, a bike, a space
bán — they sell
mua — on the contrary, they buy it. Most often, it's gold, technology, or motorcycles.
sửa — they are fixing it here, further clarification of what exactly
cấm — there will be a ban further down the line. Reading is optional, just doing nothing is sufficient.
vui lòng - Now you will be politely asked for something
hết — something ended. The most offensive sign
nghỉ — closed today
miễn phí - is free
giảm giá, khuyến mãi — discount and promotion
đổi tiền — they change money
Category words: what does this concern?
nhà - house or establishment
xe - everything that moves
quán - eatery, cafe
phòng - room, number
khách - guests, clients
giá — the price will be somewhere nearby
chợ, siêu thị, tạp hóa — a market, a supermarket, and a convenience store
công ty, đại lý — company and representative office
To put it roughly, signs are not assembled according to a single formula, but from several highly repetitive combinations.
The simplest one: action + what exactly:
🟣 CHO THUÊ + something → they are renting something out
🟣 SỬA + something → they're fixing something
🟣 CẤM + something → this is something that is prohibited
🟣 TUYỂN + someone → They're looking for someone to work for
For example, one word xe, and this transport as a type already gives us several signs at once:
sửa xe → bike repair
rửa xe → sink
giữ xe → parking
cho thuê xe → transport rental
cấm đỗ xe → no parking allowed
There is another group, these are ready-made names of places and services, which you just need to start learning about in their entirety:
quán ăn → canteen, cafe
nhà thuốc → pharmacy
nhà nghỉ → guest house
nhà trọ → rental housing
cửa hàng → store
giặt ủi → laundry
cắt tóc → hairdresser
cầm đồ → pawn shop
vá xe → puncture repair
Check yourself
🟣 TUYỂN NHÂN VIÊN — You don't need to know the second part; they're looking for an employee.
🟣 CHO THUÊ PHÒNG — they rent it out, and this is a room
🟣 CẤM ĐỖ XE TRƯỚC CỬA — a transport-related ban. Parking is prohibited.
🟣 HẾT PHÒNG — there are no vacancies
🟣 GIỮ XE 5K - parking for five thousand
🟣 MUA VÀNG - buying gold
🟣 VUI LÒNG… — then the request
Let's reiterate, the main mistake is trying to translate a sign as a sentence. It's usually enough to understand what's going on here.
In a couple of days, you'll stop translating these words. You'll simply start seeing: rent, vacancy, ban, discount.
Three traps for a novice translator
🟣 đường is both a street and sugar. The address is a street, the menu is sugar: không đường means sugar-free.
🟣 nhà nghỉ literally translates as "rest house," but in fact it's a cheap hotel, and some of these establishments have a rather peculiar reputation. Khách sạn is a completely different story.
🟣 The symbols above the letters aren't decorations or accents, but rather part of the letter. Ga and gà are for gas and chicken.
Save it and try to recognize at least five words from the list on the street today and forward it to someone who still points the translator at every sign.
