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di di mau

(slang) To leave quickly, hurry away.

ˈdi ˈdi ˈmoʊDocumented since 1960s1960sGen Xhistorical283 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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Etymology timeline

Born ~1965 · no dated citations yet
1965BornToday, 2026
Boomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →

Definitions

US-TECH
#1·Apr 27, 2026US-TECH

(slang) To leave quickly, hurry away.

Origin: . Borrowed into English by American military personnel returning from the Vietnam War, as well as by Vietnamese immigrants; popularized by the movie The Deer Hunter. This is an uncommon way to say "Hurry up!" in Vietnamese. The verb to go can be expressed as a command: "Đi đi! One may even express a sense of urgency with the word fast: "Đi mau đi! However, Vietnamese speakers tend to use the verbs mau lên, nhanh lên, and vội lên in exactly the way an English speaker would use hurry up. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"di di mau" means to leave quickly, hurry away. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.

For ESL learners

"di di mau" is informal English meaning to leave quickly, hurry away. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "to leave quickly" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "di di mau" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.

Cluster: leave
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For specific readers

"di di mau" means to leave quickly, hurry away. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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