con is used when speakers want to count, point to, or talk about individual living creatures, and by extension some things that are seen as small, active, or person-like.
Speakers use con to treat something as one distinct unit, often with the feeling that it can move, act, or has life.
The most basic and common use of con is for animals.
[1] – con chó a dog
[2] – Hai con mèo. Two cats.
[3] – Nhà tôi có ba con gà. My family has three chickens.
con is used for children or when talking about people in family or emotional contexts.
[4] – con tôi còn nhỏ. My child is still young.
[5] – con gái / con trai daughter / son
This use feels personal and close, not formal.
Some objects take con because speakers imagine them as small units that move or act.
[6] – con đường này dài lắm. This road is very long.
[7] – con dao a knife
[8] – con thuyền a (small) boat
Here, con helps speakers see the object as one complete entity, not just material.
con can appear in fixed expressions where it helps create a noun-like unit.
[9] – con người human being
[10] – con số này khó nhớ. This number is hard to remember.
con vs cái
– con: living beings or things seen as active / individual – cái: neutral objects
[11a] – con mèo a cat
[11b] – cái bàn a table
con vs người
– con: relational, emotional, family-based – người: neutral or formal
[12a] – con tôi học lớp một. My child is in first grade.
[12b] – người đó là giáo viên. That person is a teacher.
• con comes before the noun.
• Often used with numbers and demonstratives.
• Very common in spoken Vietnamese.
• Using the wrong classifier usually does not block understanding, but may sound unnatural.
• For learners, con = animals + children is a good starting rule.
• number + con + noun
– một con cá one fish
– hai con chim two birds
• con + family term
– con gái daughter
– con trai son
• con + fixed noun
– con đường road
– con thuyền boat
con helps speakers see something as one living or active unit, not just an object.