khùng
What does khùng mean? khùng is a Vietnamese moderate that translates to “crazy / insane / mental” in English.
Literal Translation
insane / deranged
Meaning & Usage
"crazy / insane / mental"
Stronger than 'điên' in many dialects. While 'điên' can be playful, 'khùng' almost never is. It implies a deeper, more permanent kind of broken — not 'you're acting crazy' but 'you are fundamentally unhinged.'
Examples in the Wild
A motorcyclist swerving to avoid a jaywalker: 'Khùng hả mày?! Đi kiểu gì vậy?!' (Are you insane?! What kind of walking is that?!)
When to Use It
Context
- Casual conversations with friends
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Southern Vietnamese speakers tend to use 'khùng' more than Northerners. In Saigon street slang, 'thằng khùng' (that crazy guy) is how people describe the unpredictable neighbor everyone avoids. There's also 'điên khùng' — stacking both words for emphasis, like saying 'absolutely batshit insane.'
More in Vietnamese 🇻🇳
View all →bê đê
“fag / queer”
Derived from the French word 'pédéraste'. It is the most ubiquitous term for a gay man or an effeminate male in Vietnam.
đm
“fuck / wtf”
The texting abbreviation of 'đụ má.' Two letters that every Vietnamese person under 40 can decode instantly. It's become so ubiquitous in online spaces that it functions less as profanity and more as punctuation — surprise, frustration, emphasis, even approval.
xạo lồn
“bullshitting / talking out of your ass”
Lying, boasting, or fabricating stories to look impressive. 'Xạo' means lying/fake; 'lồn' is added purely as an aggressive metric of magnitude.
mẹ mày
“your mother / fuck you”
Just two words — 'your mother' — but in Vietnamese, this is a complete insult. You don't need to specify what about their mother. The implication hangs in the air, and everyone fills in the worst possible meaning. It's the loaded gun of Vietnamese profanity: the trigger is pulled by context.
địt mẹ
“motherfucker / fuck your mother”
Northern Vietnamese equivalent of 'đụ má.' Uses formal 'mẹ' instead of casual 'má,' making it more severe. The gravest insult in Vietnamese culture.
địt mẹ mày
“fuck your mother / motherfucker”
The full Northern form with the target pronoun attached. If 'địt mẹ' is a grenade, adding 'mày' is pulling the pin and throwing it directly at someone's face. This isn't venting frustration — this is declaring war.
vl
“holy shit / very / wow”
Texting abbreviation for 'vãi lồn.' Expresses surprise or intensity.
bố láo
“insolent / cocky piece of shit”
Someone who acts arrogantly above their station. It literally combines 'father' (bố) with 'insolent/fake' (láo), implying someone is illegitimately claiming the authority of a father figure.