How do you say “fish” in Vietnamese?
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Fish – cá (pronounced ga; up-tone)
Fish is “cá” (ga) in Vietnamese. You will see a lot of cá adorning restaurants signs in coastal cities like Quy Nhon or Phú Quốc. Tourist should learn a few useful phrases and types of fish while browsing the seafood districts, such as “what kind of fish is this?” – “Đây là loại cá gì vậy?”
Kinds of Fish in Vietnam
- cá tuyết – cod
- cá rô phi – tilapia
- cá trê – cat fish
- cá rô – perch
- cá mòi – sardines
- cá trích – herring
- cá thu – mackerel
- cá ngừ – tuna
- cá hồi – salmon
- cá đối – mullet
- cá đuối – stingray
- cá koi – koi fish
- cá kho tộ – braised fish
Cá is “All Things with Fins”
If you are piscivore vegetarian, you’ll need to work a little harder to ensure you aren’t eating anything strange. This is because “cá” also includes some marine mammals, such as:
- cá heo – dolphin (literally “pig fish”)
- cá voi – whale (literally “elephant fish”)
However, Vietnamese regards crustaceans, echinoderms, cephalopods and mollucks to taxonomically different to fish:
- tôm hùm – lobster
- con tôm – shrimp
- con hải đởm – sea urhin
- bạch tuộc – octopus
- mực ống – squid
- ngao – clams
How to say “I don’t want to eat clams?”
Here are some helpful expressions to order or avoid different types of seafood, such as expressing allergies or dietary restrictions.
- Bring me the salmon – Cho tôi cá hồi
- I want to eat clams – Tôi muốn ăn ngao
- I don’t want to eat clams – Tôi không muốn ăn ngao
- I want to eat shrimp – Tôi muốn ăn tôm
- I am allergic to shrimp – Tôi bị dị ứng với tôm
- I am vegetarian – Tôi ăn chay