bức

Classifier for Pictures and Letters

Level 1

Bức is a common classifier used for things that hold a visual image, a written message, or act as a vertical partition.

How It Works

In Vietnamese, classifiers are required when counting objects or pointing them out. Bức is a highly frequent classifier used for a very specific, highly restricted set of nouns.

It is primarily used for objects that feature a visual representation, a written message, or act as a vertical barrier. The most common nouns that take bức are:

  • tranh (painting)
  • ảnh (photo)
  • thư (letter)
  • tường (wall)
  • vách (partition / wall)
  • bình phong (folding screen)
  • tượng (statue)
  • rèm / màn (curtain / blind)

Important Nuances:

  • Not just for flat things: A common myth is that bức is for 'flat things with a face'. This is inaccurate, as it is a common classifier for tượng (statues), which are three-dimensional (though learners might also hear pho tượng as the traditional classifier).
  • Compared to tờ: Tờ is used for thin sheets of paper (like blank paper or newspapers). Bức is never used for blank paper.
  • Compared to tấm: Both tấm ảnh and bức ảnh mean 'a photo'. However, tấm emphasizes the physical printed material, while bức elevates the artistic or visual content.
  • Metaphorical usage: Bức is also used in abstract or metaphorical phrases, such as bức màn bí mật (the curtain of secrecy) or bức tường vô hình (an invisible wall).

To use it, place it between a number and the noun (counting structure), or before a noun followed by a pointing word (pointing structure).

Examples (5)

  1. Tôi chụp một bức ảnh ở Hà Nội.

    I took a photo in Hanoi.

    Word by Word: I shoot one [classifier] photo at Hanoi.

    Used with 'ảnh' (photo) to count a single photograph.

  2. Cô ấy viết một bức thư cho mẹ.

    She wrote a letter to her mother.

    Word by Word: She write one [classifier] letter give mother.

    Used with 'thư' (letter) to count a written message.

  3. Căn phòng được ngăn bằng một bức tường.

    The room is divided by a wall.

    Word by Word: Room [passive] divide by one [classifier] wall.

    Used with 'tường' (wall), which acts as a vertical partition.

  4. Bức tranh này rất đẹp.

    This painting is very beautiful.

    Word by Word: [classifier] painting this very beautiful.

    Used with a demonstrative (này) to point out a specific painting.

  5. Họ đang xây một bức tượng lớn.

    They are building a large statue.

    Word by Word: They [in progress] build one [classifier] statue large.

    Used with 'tượng' (statue), showing that 'bức' is not exclusively for flat objects.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'tờ' for photos/paintings, or using 'bức' for blank paper.

    Tôi cần một bức giấy.
    Tôi cần một tờ giấy.

    Tờ is used for thin sheets of paper (like blank paper or newspapers). Bức is used for visual art or written messages, never for blank paper.

  • Dropping the classifier entirely when counting.

    Cô ấy viết hai thư.
    Cô ấy viết hai bức thư.

    In Vietnamese, you cannot attach a number directly to most nouns. You must use a classifier between the number and the noun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

bứcLevel 1Classifier for Pictures and Letters

Learn This First

To understand 'bức', you first need to understand how classifiers function in Vietnamese grammar to categorize nouns and how they fit into noun phrases for counting and specifying objects.

Words in This Pattern