Comparison in Vietnamese

In Brief

Vietnamese adjectives do not change form for comparison. Put hơn after an adjective to mean “more/-er,” put nhất after it to mean “most/-est,” and use bằng or như for equality or similarity: cao hơn “taller,” cao nhất “tallest,” cao bằng/như “as tall as.”

Overview

Comparison in Vietnamese is built with separate words rather than adjective endings. English changes fast to faster and fastest, or adds more and most. Vietnamese keeps nhanh unchanged and adds hơn or nhất: nhanh hơn, nhanh nhất. There are no irregular comparative forms corresponding to English better or worse.

This is an A2 pattern, and it builds directly on Vietnamese adjectives. A Vietnamese adjective can serve as the predicate (the part that says what the subject is like) without a word meaning “to be”: Xe này nhanh means “This car is fast.” Comparison simply extends that predicate: Xe này nhanh hơn xe kia means “This car is faster than that car.”

The beginner system is compact, but the same words cover several useful distinctions: difference with hơn, the highest degree with nhất, equality with bằng, resemblance with như, and linked changes with càng...càng. Word order matters more than inflection, because the comparison words themselves never change.

How It Works

Comparing two things with hơn

The basic comparative pattern is:

A + adjective + hơn + B

Here, A and B are the two people or things being compared.

• Lan cao hơn Mai. — Lan is taller than Mai.
• Phòng này rộng hơn phòng kia. — This room is more spacious than that room.
• Hôm nay nóng hơn hôm qua. — Today is hotter than yesterday.

Hơn follows the adjective. Unlike English than, it does two jobs at once: it marks the greater degree and introduces the standard of comparison (the person or thing used as the reference point). Do not add another word before B just because English requires than.

B may be left out when the reference is already clear:

• Cái nào rẻ hơn? — Which one is cheaper?
• Cái màu xanh rẻ hơn. — The blue one is cheaper.

To compare amounts, use quantity words in the same pattern:

• Tôi có nhiều thời gian hơn. — I have more time.
• Tháng này tôi tiêu ít tiền hơn. — I am spending less money this month.
• Nhà mới có nhiều phòng hơn nhà cũ. — The new house has more rooms than the old one.

A more explicit order is sometimes possible when the compared quality needs to be stated after the two items, but A + adjective + hơn + B is the safest and most useful beginner pattern.

Expressing the highest degree with nhất

The basic superlative pattern is:

A + adjective + nhất (+ group or context)

• Anh ấy cao nhất. — He is the tallest.
• Món này ngon nhất. — This dish is the most delicious.
• Đây là con đường ngắn nhất. — This is the shortest route.

A superlative logically needs a group or context, but Vietnamese often leaves it unstated when everyone knows it. You can name it with trong “in/among”:

• Lan cao nhất trong lớp. — Lan is the tallest in the class.
• Đây là nhà hàng đắt nhất trong khu này. — This is the most expensive restaurant in this area.

When the superlative is inside a noun phrase (a group of words centred on a noun), the noun normally comes first because Vietnamese descriptive adjectives usually follow nouns:

• người trẻ nhất — the youngest person
• cuốn sách hay nhất — the best/most interesting book
• ngày bận nhất — the busiest day

In identifying sentences, là is natural before a noun phrase: Đây là cuốn sách hay nhất. In a plain adjective predicate, do not insert là: Cuốn sách này hay nhất, not Cuốn sách này là hay nhất in a neutral beginner sentence.

Equality with bằng

Use bằng when two things have the same degree of a measurable quality:

A + adjective + bằng + B

• Nam cao bằng Bình. — Nam is as tall as Bình.
• Phòng này rộng bằng phòng kia. — This room is as large as that room.
• Chiếc bàn dài bằng hai mét. — The table is two metres long (literally, its length equals two metres).

For equal quantities, bằng can follow a verb or quantity expression:

• Tôi kiếm tiền bằng anh ấy. — I earn as much as he does.
• Hai hộp nặng bằng nhau. — The two boxes weigh the same.

Bằng nhau means “equal/the same as each other” and is especially useful when the compared members are already grouped as the subject:

• Giá bằng nhau. — The prices are the same.
• Hai đoạn đường dài bằng nhau. — The two routes are equal in length.

A very common way to say that A has a lower degree than B is:

A + không + adjective + bằng + B

• Nhà tôi không lớn bằng nhà bạn. — My house is not as big as yours.

This is often more natural than trying to build a sentence around English less. Vietnamese can use kém “less/inferior” in some contexts, but không...bằng is the dependable everyday pattern.

Similarity with như

Như means “like” or “as.” With an adjective, it can express an equal-seeming quality:

• Cô ấy hát hay như ca sĩ chuyên nghiệp. — She sings as well as a professional singer.
• Nước lạnh như đá. — The water is cold as ice.

The distinction from bằng is useful: bằng presents equality in degree, while như often evokes resemblance or a vivid comparison. Cao bằng anh directly compares height; cao như người mẫu likens someone’s height to that of a model. In everyday speech the meanings can overlap, so context matters more than a rigid one-to-one English translation.

Comparing actions

Vietnamese can compare how an action is performed. The adjective or manner word comes after the verb, followed by hơn or bằng:

• Mai chạy nhanh hơn tôi. — Mai runs faster than I do.
• Em ấy nói tiếng Việt tốt hơn trước. — They speak Vietnamese better than before.
• Tôi nấu ăn không ngon bằng mẹ. — I do not cook as well as my mother.

English often supplies do/does at the end of such comparisons. Vietnamese normally does not need an equivalent: hơn tôi can mean “than me” or “than I do,” depending on context.

Asking comparative questions

Useful question patterns include:

• A hay B + adjective + hơn? — Is A or B more adjective?
• A và B, cái/người nào + adjective + hơn? — Which of A and B is more adjective?
• Ai/cái gì + adjective + nhất? — Who/what is the most adjective?

For example: Hà Nội hay Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh đông hơn? means “Which is more crowded, Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?” The answer can be a full sentence or simply the contrasted item plus hơn.

Examples in Context

Vietnamese	English	Note
Xe này nhanh hơn xe kia.	This car is faster than that car.	Basic hơn comparison
Hôm nay mát hơn hôm qua.	Today is cooler than yesterday.	Times can be compared directly
Căn hộ mới sáng hơn nhưng nhỏ hơn.	The new apartment is brighter but smaller.	Two qualities, each with hơn
Cái áo nào rẻ hơn?	Which shirt is cheaper?	The comparison standard is understood
Tàu hỏa chậm hơn máy bay.	Trains are slower than planes.	General comparison
Anh ấy cao nhất.	He is the tallest.	Group understood from context
Lan là sinh viên trẻ nhất trong lớp.	Lan is the youngest student in the class.	nhất inside a noun phrase
Đây là món tôi thích nhất.	This is the dish I like most.	nhất can mark the highest preference
Phòng của tôi rộng bằng phòng của bạn.	My room is as spacious as yours.	Equality with bằng
Hai chiếc vé có giá bằng nhau.	The two tickets cost the same.	Reciprocal equality with bằng nhau
Tôi không dậy sớm bằng chị tôi.	I do not get up as early as my older sister.	Lower degree with không...bằng
Bé ngủ yên như thiên thần.	The child sleeps peacefully like an angel.	Resemblance with như
Cô ấy nói chậm hơn trước.	She speaks more slowly than before.	Comparison across time
Càng đọc, tôi càng hiểu.	The more I read, the more I understand.	Linked change with càng...càng
Trời càng ngày càng nóng.	It is getting hotter and hotter.	Gradual change over time

Common Mistakes

Putting hơn before the adjective

• Wrong: Xe này hơn nhanh xe kia.
• Right: Xe này nhanh hơn xe kia.
• Why: In the basic pattern, the quality comes first and hơn follows it: nhanh hơn, đẹp hơn, đắt hơn.

Translating “than” twice

• Wrong: Lan cao hơn so với Mai in a simple beginner comparison.
• Right: Lan cao hơn Mai.
• Why: Hơn already forms the comparison and can introduce B directly. So với (“compared with”) exists, but it belongs to a more explicit construction and is not required after every hơn.

Adding là before an adjective predicate

• Wrong: Xe này là nhanh hơn xe kia.
• Right: Xe này nhanh hơn xe kia.
• Why: Vietnamese adjectives can be predicates without a copula (a linking verb such as English be). Use là when identifying something with a noun phrase, as in Đây là xe nhanh nhất.

Copying English adjective order

• Wrong: nhất rẻ vé for “the cheapest ticket”
• Right: vé rẻ nhất
• Why: The noun comes first, then the adjective, then nhất: noun + adjective + nhất.

Using hơn for “less” without changing the quality

• Wrong: Nhà tôi lớn hơn nhà bạn when you mean “My house is less big than yours.”
• Right: Nhà tôi không lớn bằng nhà bạn.
• Why: Lớn hơn always means “bigger.” For a lower degree, không...bằng is clear and natural; alternatively, choose the opposite quality if appropriate, such as nhỏ hơn “smaller.”

Treating như and bằng as identical everywhere

• Awkward: Hai cái hộp nặng như nhau when exact equal weight is intended.
• Better: Hai cái hộp nặng bằng nhau.
• Why: Bằng nhau states equality. Như is especially common for likeness and figurative comparison. You will hear overlap, but bằng is the safer choice for measurable equality.

Usage Notes

Vietnamese comparison does not require grammatical number or gender agreement. Whether you compare one person, several people, or an object, the forms remain hơn, nhất, bằng, and như. This makes formation regular, but the listener still needs enough context to know the comparison group.

In conversation, speakers frequently omit repeated material. After Cái nào ngon hơn? (“Which one tastes better?”), Cái này ngon hơn is complete; the other item need not be named again. Likewise, Ai cao nhất? is natural when the relevant group is visible or already under discussion.

Nhất can also mean “most” with verbs of preference or evaluation, not only with descriptive adjectives: Tôi thích mùa thu nhất means “I like autumn best.” The preferred item normally comes after the verb, and nhất marks it as highest in the speaker’s ranking.

For a formal or analytical comparison, so với means “compared with”: So với năm ngoái, doanh thu năm nay cao hơn (“Compared with last year, this year’s revenue is higher”). This framing is common in reports and explanations. In ordinary two-item comparisons, the shorter pattern remains more natural.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A2, but you will meet them often.

Linked changes with càng...càng

The paired construction càng...càng... means “the more...the more...” and links two changing degrees:

càng + clause/quality 1, càng + clause/quality 2

• Càng học càng thấy thú vị. — The more I study, the more interesting I find it.
• Bạn càng nói chậm, tôi càng dễ hiểu. — The more slowly you speak, the easier it is for me to understand.

A subject may appear in either half when needed. Short, shared subjects are often omitted. The construction is productive, but a fuller treatment belongs with Vietnamese correlative constructions.

Gradual increase with càng ngày càng

Càng ngày càng + adjective describes a continuing trend: “increasingly” or “more and more.”

• Thành phố càng ngày càng đông. — The city is getting more and more crowded.
• Tiếng Việt của bạn càng ngày càng tốt. — Your Vietnamese is getting better and better.

In speech and writing, ngày càng + adjective is also extremely common: Giá nhà ngày càng cao (“House prices are increasingly high”). This describes change over time rather than comparing two fixed objects.

Strengthening or limiting a difference

Degree words can show the size of the gap:

• nhanh hơn nhiều — much faster
• cao hơn một chút — a little taller
• tốt hơn hẳn — clearly/decisively better

Notice that these expressions commonly follow hơn. A measured difference may also be stated: Anh ấy cao hơn tôi năm xen-ti-mét (“He is five centimetres taller than me”).

Hơn outside ordinary comparison

Hơn can occur in quantity expressions meaning “more than/over”: hơn một giờ (“more than an hour”), hơn một trăm người (“over one hundred people”). Here it precedes the quantity because it modifies the whole amount. This does not contradict adjective + hơn; it is a different use with a number or measure.

Practice Tips

1. Build four versions from one adjective. Take a useful adjective such as đắt “expensive” and say đắt, đắt hơn, đắt nhất, and đắt bằng. Then put each form into a sentence about real shops, meals, or transport.
2. Compare things you can see. Choose two rooms, photos, products, or cities and make three truthful contrasts. Include one hơn sentence, one không...bằng sentence, and one question such as Cái nào đẹp hơn?
3. Listen for what is omitted. In Vietnamese conversations, note when the second item or comparison group is understood rather than spoken. Repeat the sentence first in full, then in the shorter form a speaker would naturally use.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Adjectives as Stative Verbs — explains why Vietnamese adjectives can form predicates without “to be.”
• Next steps: Correlative Constructions — expands càng...càng and introduces other paired structures such as vừa...vừa and không những...mà còn.