Vietnamese most often expresses equal degree with bằng: Lan cao bằng Mai means “Lan is as tall as Mai.” It expresses reciprocal equality with bằng nhau: Hai căn phòng rộng bằng nhau “The two rooms are equally spacious.” Như also supports comparison, but its core contribution is resemblance—“like” or “as”—rather than measured equality.
This distinction matters because English as … as can cover both exact comparison and looser resemblance. Vietnamese normally chooses bằng when two values reach the same point on a scale, and như when one thing resembles a model, manner, image, or familiar situation. The adjective remains unchanged; the relation is built in the predicate syntax. Superlatives with nhất are reserved for Superlatives with Nhất.
The basic equative with bằng
The neutral frame is:
A + gradable predicate + bằng + B
Em gái tôi cao bằng tôi rồi.
My younger sister is as tall as me now.
Căn này sáng bằng căn ở tầng trên nhưng yên tĩnh hơn.
This apartment is as bright as the one upstairs but quieter.
Bài kiểm tra hôm nay khó bằng bài tuần trước.
Today's test is as difficult as last week's.
Cao, sáng, and khó are predicates; do not add là. The standard follows bằng, with no second word translating English as. This use is neutral across conversation and writing.
For inequality, put không before the predicate: A không + predicate + bằng + B. Pragmatically, this often presents A as below B, so Lan không cao bằng Mai normally means “Lan is not as tall as Mai,” not merely “their heights differ.” It is often gentler than calling A kém.
Tôi nấu ăn không ngon bằng mẹ, nhưng món này cũng tạm được.
I don't cook as well as my mother, but this dish is all right too.
Bản miễn phí không đầy đủ bằng bản trả phí.
The free version is not as complete as the paid version.
Reciprocal equality with bằng nhau
Bằng nhau means “equal to one another” or “the same in the relevant measure.” Because nhau is reciprocal, the comparison involves at least two understood participants.
Hai chiếc vali có trọng lượng bằng nhau, nên cậu mang chiếc nào cũng được.
The two suitcases weigh the same, so you can take either one.
Sau ba vòng, cả hai đội bằng nhau về điểm số.
After three rounds, the two teams are level on points.
You can name the domain with về when equality is limited: bằng nhau về điểm số does not claim that the teams are equal in every respect. With numbers and measurements, natural Vietnamese also uses direct identity or như nhau, depending on what is being compared: Giá hai chiếc như nhau “the two have the same price.”
Như: resemblance, manner, and vivid standards
The neutral frame A + predicate + như + B says that A resembles B with respect to the predicate. It can approximate an equative, but it often evokes a recognizable image instead of asserting a measured tie.
Con bé chạy nhanh như gió.
The girl runs like the wind.
Căn phòng sau khi sơn trông như mới.
After being painted, the room looks like new.
Anh ấy nói chuyện tự nhiên như người trong nhà.
He talks as naturally as a member of the family.
These are neutral or informal. Nhanh như gió is a conventional exaggeration; nobody measures the girl's speed against wind. In careful factual comparison, bằng is clearer.
Như nhau means “the same / alike” and compares manner, appearance, result, or treatment. It is not always interchangeable with bằng nhau. Hai đoạn dây dài bằng nhau asserts equal length; hai đoạn văn giống nhau or như nhau says their content or form is alike. In everyday speech, overlap is common when the dimension is understood.
Hai phương án tốn thời gian như nhau, nhưng chi phí không bằng nhau.
The two options take the same amount of time, but their costs are not equal.
Choosing the construction
| Intention | Choose | Example | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| equal degree on a named scale | predicate + bằng + standard | cao bằng tôi | neutral |
| below the standard, phrased gently | không + predicate + bằng | không nhanh bằng | neutral |
| mutual numerical equality | bằng nhau | Hai bên bằng nhau về điểm. | neutral |
| similarity or manner | như / như nhau | làm như nhau | neutral |
| vivid image | predicate + như + image | nhanh như gió | informal to literary |
Equality versus other comparison and scope patterns
| Pattern | Meaning | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| cao hơn tôi | taller than me | one value exceeds a standard |
| đẹp nhất lớp | prettiest in the class | one member is maximal in a set |
| bằng nhau | equal to each other | neither ranks higher |
| càng học càng hiểu | the more one studies, the more one understands | two degrees covary |
| ai cũng biết | everyone knows | universal scope over people |
| mỗi người một việc | one task per person | distributive pairing |
Comparison words do not determine quantifier scope by themselves. Mọi học sinh đều làm bài nhanh như nhau says that all students work at the same speed: mọi … đều distributes the predicate across the set, and như nhau says their manner or rate is the same. Từng học sinh làm một đề khác nhau instead highlights students one by one. Cả lớp treats the class as a whole, while ai cũng is the pronoun-particle pattern “everyone.”
Mỗi nhóm đều được phát một lượng vật liệu như nhau, nhưng mỗi nhóm chọn một cách làm khác nhau.
Every group receives the same amount of material, but each group chooses a different method.
A natural dialogue: equal in what respect?
A: Hai phòng này rộng bằng nhau à? B: Diện tích bằng nhau, nhưng phòng bên trái sáng hơn. A: Giá cũng như nhau à? B: Không, phòng sáng nhất đắt hơn; phòng kia rẻ hơn nhưng không yên tĩnh bằng.
A: Are these two rooms equally large? B: Their floor area is the same, but the room on the left is brighter. A: Are the prices the same too? B: No, the brightest room is more expensive; the other is cheaper but not as quiet.
The first bằng nhau asks about a measurable dimension. Như nhau asks whether the prices are the same, not whether one price “resembles” another metaphorically. The final không yên tĩnh bằng ranks the cheaper room below a contextually obvious standard. The chosen pattern changes which relation the listener should recover.
Common Mistakes
Adding an English-style copula
❌ Lan là cao bằng Mai.
Incorrect: là does not precede an ordinary adjective predicate.
✅ Lan cao bằng Mai.
Lan is as tall as Mai.
Vietnamese cao predicates directly. Bằng Mai supplies the standard, so no word corresponding to English is is needed.
Translating both instances of English “as”
❌ Lan bằng cao bằng Mai.
Incorrect: Vietnamese does not copy the English as … as frame word for word.
✅ Lan cao bằng Mai.
Lan is as tall as Mai.
One bằng, after the predicate, marks equal degree and introduces the standard.
Using bằng for resemblance rather than equal degree
❌ Chiếc điện thoại này trông bằng mẫu cũ.
Incorrect for the intended meaning ‘This phone looks like the old model.’
✅ Chiếc điện thoại này trông giống mẫu cũ.
This phone looks like the old model.
After trông, use giống or như to introduce resemblance: trông giống mẫu cũ, trông như mới. Use bằng after a gradable predicate to compare equal degree, as in nhẹ bằng mẫu cũ “as light as the old model.”
Confusing mỗi, mọi, từng, and ai cũng
❌ Mỗi cũng làm bài nhanh như nhau.
Incorrect: mỗi cannot stand alone as the pronoun ‘everyone’ in this frame.
✅ Mọi học sinh đều làm bài nhanh như nhau.
All the students work equally quickly.
Use mọi + noun + đều for a universal statement, mỗi + noun for each member or a per-member pairing, từng + noun for one-by-one focus, and ai cũng for “everyone.” Cũng alone normally means “also/too,” not the distributive marker đều.
Key Takeaways
- Use predicate + bằng + standard for equal degree and bằng nhau for reciprocal equality.
- Use như for resemblance, manner, and vivid standards; use như nhau for sameness in manner or outcome.
- Không … bằng generally presents the subject as below the standard and often sounds softer than kém.
- Vietnamese comparison uses stable predicates and construction words, not English adjective endings or paired as … as morphology.
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Start learning Vietnamese →Related Topics
- Less-Than Comparison with KémA2 — Express falling short of a standard with kém, distinguish that frame from kém hơn, and state measured shortfalls naturally.
- Superlatives with NhấtA2 — Form Vietnamese superlatives with nhất, identify the relevant comparison set, and control the scope of ‘most’ in predicates and noun phrases.
- Comparatives with HơnA1 — Build Vietnamese ‘more/-er than’ comparisons by placing hơn after a gradable predicate rather than changing the adjective.
- Contextual Standards without an Overt ComplementA2 — Omit an already recoverable comparison standard after hơn, kém, bằng, or nhất without leaving the listener to guess the wrong baseline.