tía

Tòa is a Vietnamese noun and classifier used to denote a large building or a complex of buildings. In Vietnamese, it functions as a formal term that appears in many compound nouns and official names, conveying a sense of grandeur or public importance. The word can indicate either the building itself or the institution housed within it.

Common usages include tòa nhà (building), tòa nhà chọc trời (skyscraper), and tòa án (court). In institutional names, tòa often appears as a prefix or component to designate a specific public edifice, such as Tòa thị chính (city hall) and Tòa án nhân dân tối cao (Supreme People's Court). The phrase Tòa Thánh refers to the Holy See or the Holy See’s seat in religious contexts. Some historical terms also use tòa in combination with other nouns, for example tòa thành (fortress or citadel).

Usage notes: tòa tends to appear in formal, written, or official Vietnamese. In everyday speech, speakers are more likely to use simpler terms such as nhà or cao ốc for buildings, unless referring to a named or architecturally significant structure. As a classifier, tòa is distinct from other measures like căn, ngôi, or chiếc, and its presence often signals that the noun it accompanies denotes a prominent or public edifice.

In summary, tòa describes a building or structure of substantial stature and is common in official language and proper names for public buildings, courts, and monumental architecture.