Văn

See also: Appendix:Variations of "van"

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 文 (“literature”); implies an educated or scholarly person.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [van˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [vaŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [vaŋ˧˧] ~ [jaŋ˧˧]
• Homophones: văn, văng, giăng, Vân, vâng, dân, dâng

Proper noun

Văn

1. a surname from Chinese
2. a male given name from Chinese, a middle name

   Sai rồi, ông Trần Văn Trật!

   That's not the answer, Mr. Dead Wrong!

Usage notes

• Văn is a generic male middle name. Its female equivalent is Thị. It almost always precedes other additional middle names if any. Some (extended) families may include Văn in the "official" name of their lineage, even though their female members may not have such a middle name.