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  3. Vietnamese Pronunciation
  • Front Vowels
  • Central Vowels
  • Back Vowels
  • Diphthong Vowels
  • Labial Consonants
  • Alveolar Consonants
  • Retroflex Consonants
  • Palatal Consonants
  • Velar Consonants
  • Glottal Consonants

Pronunciation

ư[ɯ]

Vietnamese “ư” is the vowel:

/ɯ/ (Northern)

/ɨ/ (Southern — slightly more central)

This sound does not exist in English, but English speakers can approximate it.

How to pronounce “ư” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

Step-by-step:

1. Lips

Completely unrounded

Not protruded

Corners of the mouth relaxed

Lips should look almost flat, not like English “oo”.

2. Tongue

High position

Back of the tongue raised toward the soft palate

Very similar to the tongue position for English “oo” (food), but with flat lips.

3. Mouth Opening

Small opening

Less open than “a”, more closed than “i”.

4. Sound Quality

Tight, high, central–back vowel

Short and steady (not diphthong)

Tones of syllables created by ư
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
ư ư ừ ử ữ ứ ự

Pronunciation

ơ[ɤ]

Vietnamese “ơ” is pronounced:

/ɤ/ (Northern)

/ɜ/ (Southern — more open and central)

This vowel does not exist in English, but it is similar to:

English “uh” in “bird”, “word”, “girl”, “her” (British/RP)

BUT without the /r/

And with more lip relaxation

How to pronounce “ơ” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Lips

Completely unrounded

Relaxed

Slight opening

Not spread wide like “e”, not rounded like “o”

2. Tongue

Mid height

Slightly back (Northern)

More central (Southern)

Imagine the tongue position halfway between:

English “uh”

3. Mouth Opening

Medium opening

Not as wide as “a”

Not as closed as “ư”

4. Sound Quality

A smooth, steady, mid vowel

No movement → monophthong

Closer English Comparisons

Although not perfect:

British English “sir”, “bird”, “girl” (but without /r/)

English “uh” but more back and tense

Tones of syllables created by ơ
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
ơ ơ ờ ở ỡ ớ ợ

Pronunciation

â

Vietnamese “â” is pronounced:

/ɐ/ or /ə/ (mid–central vowel)

This sound is similar to:

English “uh” in “cup”, “sun”, “but” (American English)

BUT shorter

And more central

And without schwa reduction (clearer than English)

It is different from Vietnamese “ă” and “a”.

How to pronounce “â” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Lips

Unrounded

Relaxed

Neutral position (not smiling, not rounded)

2. Tongue

Mid height → between “a” (low) and “ơ” (mid)

Fairly central

Slightly front of center (Northern)

More central or slightly back (Southern)

3. Mouth Opening

Medium size

Less open than “a”

More open than “ơ”

4. Sound Quality

Short, stable mid-central vowel

No movement → monophthong

Clearer and more distinct than English schwa

The “â” sound appears very often before n, t, m.

Tones of syllables created by â
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone

Pronunciation

a[a]

Vietnamese “a” is pronounced:

/a/ (low, open front vowel)

It is similar to:

Spanish “a” in “casa”

English “a” in “father”, but fronted (not as back as English)

This vowel is pure, open, and stable.

How to pronounce “a” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Mouth Opening

Very wide open

Jaw lowers significantly

2. Tongue Position

Low position (tongue almost flat)

Front of the tongue raised slightly—not as far back as English “father”

Tongue relaxed

3. Lips

Completely unrounded

Neutral, relaxed

Do NOT smile or spread lips

4. Sound Quality

Open, bright, front vowel

Stable (no movement → monophthong)

Tones of syllables created by a
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
a a à ả ã á ạ

Pronunciation

ă

Vietnamese “ă” is pronounced:

/ă/ → a short, open front vowel

It is basically a short version of “a”.

Closest English similarities:

The “u” in “cup” but more open

The “a” in “cat” (American /æ/) but less front

A very short “ah” sound

But Vietnamese “ă” is NOT exactly like English vowels.

The key feature is short duration.

How to pronounce “ă” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Mouth Opening

Fairly open, but not as wide as “a”

Mouth opens quickly and closes quickly

Very short and fast

2. Tongue Position

Low → same region as “a”

Slightly more relaxed

Slightly less front than “a”

3. Lips

Unrounded

Natural and relaxed

Not spread, not rounded

4. Duration

Extremely short

The shortest Vietnamese vowel

No diphthong movement; pure vowel

Tones of syllables created by ă
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
Course Image

Greetings

In this material, we have studied 100 commonly used Vietnamese greeting expressions used in everyday conversation. These include greetings for meeting, parting, caring, welcoming, and wishing well, such as “Hello,” “How are you?”, “Nice to meet you,” and “Have a nice day.”

For each sentence, we provided:

• Natural translations in English

• Word-by-word explanations with meanings and parts of speech

• Sentence structure analysis

• Usage notes, including politeness and context

One important feature of Vietnamese greetings is their strong connection to age, social roles, and relationships. This material is designed not only to help learners memorize phrases, but also to understand why a certain expression is used and when it is appropriate.

Whether you are a beginner or a learner aiming to sound natural and polite, this collection serves as a practical and reliable guide to mastering Vietnamese greetings in real-life situations.

Course Image

Love

In this material, we studied 100 Vietnamese sentences focused on romantic expressions.

The phrases cover a wide range of real-life usage, from greetings and caring words to expressions of affection, deep love, emotional support, and promises for the future.

For each sentence, the explanations include:

• Natural translations into English

• Word-by-word meanings

• Parts of speech

• Sentence structure and usage

Vietnamese love expressions are highly sensitive to personal pronouns (such as anh and em) and word order, which strongly affect nuance and emotional distance. Through this study, learners can move beyond memorization and gain the ability to express love naturally, appropriately, and sincerely, depending on the relationship.

This collection is ideal for learners who want to communicate their feelings more deeply and accurately in Vietnamese—whether in conversations, messages, confessions, or heartfelt expressions of love.

    Course Image

    Greetings

    In this material, we have studied 100 commonly used Vietnamese greeting expressions used in everyday conversation. These include greetings for meeting, parting, caring, welcoming, and wishing well, such as “Hello,” “How are you?”, “Nice to meet you,” and “Have a nice day.”

    For each sentence, we provided:

    • Natural translations in English

    • Word-by-word explanations with meanings and parts of speech

    • Sentence structure analysis

    • Usage notes, including politeness and context

    One important feature of Vietnamese greetings is their strong connection to age, social roles, and relationships. This material is designed not only to help learners memorize phrases, but also to understand why a certain expression is used and when it is appropriate.

    Whether you are a beginner or a learner aiming to sound natural and polite, this collection serves as a practical and reliable guide to mastering Vietnamese greetings in real-life situations.

    Course Image

    Love

    In this material, we studied 100 Vietnamese sentences focused on romantic expressions.

    The phrases cover a wide range of real-life usage, from greetings and caring words to expressions of affection, deep love, emotional support, and promises for the future.

    For each sentence, the explanations include:

    • Natural translations into English

    • Word-by-word meanings

    • Parts of speech

    • Sentence structure and usage

    Vietnamese love expressions are highly sensitive to personal pronouns (such as anh and em) and word order, which strongly affect nuance and emotional distance. Through this study, learners can move beyond memorization and gain the ability to express love naturally, appropriately, and sincerely, depending on the relationship.

    This collection is ideal for learners who want to communicate their feelings more deeply and accurately in Vietnamese—whether in conversations, messages, confessions, or heartfelt expressions of love.

      Course Image

      Greetings

      In this material, we have studied 100 commonly used Vietnamese greeting expressions used in everyday conversation. These include greetings for meeting, parting, caring, welcoming, and wishing well, such as “Hello,” “How are you?”, “Nice to meet you,” and “Have a nice day.”

      For each sentence, we provided:

      • Natural translations in English

      • Word-by-word explanations with meanings and parts of speech

      • Sentence structure analysis

      • Usage notes, including politeness and context

      One important feature of Vietnamese greetings is their strong connection to age, social roles, and relationships. This material is designed not only to help learners memorize phrases, but also to understand why a certain expression is used and when it is appropriate.

      Whether you are a beginner or a learner aiming to sound natural and polite, this collection serves as a practical and reliable guide to mastering Vietnamese greetings in real-life situations.

      Course Image

      Love

      In this material, we studied 100 Vietnamese sentences focused on romantic expressions.

      The phrases cover a wide range of real-life usage, from greetings and caring words to expressions of affection, deep love, emotional support, and promises for the future.

      For each sentence, the explanations include:

      • Natural translations into English

      • Word-by-word meanings

      • Parts of speech

      • Sentence structure and usage

      Vietnamese love expressions are highly sensitive to personal pronouns (such as anh and em) and word order, which strongly affect nuance and emotional distance. Through this study, learners can move beyond memorization and gain the ability to express love naturally, appropriately, and sincerely, depending on the relationship.

      This collection is ideal for learners who want to communicate their feelings more deeply and accurately in Vietnamese—whether in conversations, messages, confessions, or heartfelt expressions of love.