xà bông

Vietnamese

Etymology

From French savon. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *saipǭ (“soap”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [saː˦˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [saː˨˩ ʔɓəwŋ͡m˧˧]

Noun

xà bông

1. (Southern Vietnam) soap

   Cho cháu xà bông ạ.
   Omo hay Tide?
   Dạ không, cho cháu xà bông ạ. À, xà bông tắm ấy ạ!

   I'd like some soap.
   You want Omo or Tide?
   No, please get me some soap. Oh, I meant soap as in "bathing soap"!

2. (Southern Vietnam, colloquial) laundry detergent; washing powder

Usage notes

• In Southern regions, xà bông usually colloquially refers to "laundry detergent" instead of "soap". If you go to a general store asking for a xà bông, they would give you laundry powder. You should be more specific by asking for a xà bông tắm (literally “soap for bathing”) if you want a real soap, and for a xà bông giặt (literally “soap for laundry”) if you want detergent.

Synonyms

• xà phòng
• bột giặt