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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

tr[tʂ]

Vietnamese “tr” is a retroflex /tʂ/ sound in the Northern accent, and an alveolar /tʃ/ (like English “ch”) in the Southern accent.

For learners, the Northern retroflex version is standard.

STANDARD (Northern) Vietnamese tr = /tʂ/ (retroflex)

Place of articulation

Retroflex: Tip of the tongue curls up and slightly back toward the roof of the mouth

NOT touching the teeth

NOT touching the gum ridge

Tongue position

Tongue tip: curled upward/backward

Tongue blade: not touching anything

Tongue body: mid–low

Tongue sides: relaxed

Mouth

Slightly open

Lips neutral (not rounded)

Airflow

A stop + fricative combination:

Air stops behind curled tongue (like “t”)

Air releases with a strong hissing (like “sh”)

→ the result is t + sh = tʂ

Voicing

Voiceless

Sound quality

Like Mandarin Chinese “zh” (as in 张 / Zhāng)

Not like English “tr” in “tree”

Stronger, more retroflex than English “ch”

Tones of syllables created by tr
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
i tri trì trỉ trĩ trí trị
y try trỳ trỷ trỹ trý trỵ
ê trê trề trể trễ trế trệ
e tre trè trẻ trẽ tré trẹ
ư trư trừ trử trữ trứ trự
ơ trơ trờ trở trỡ trớ trợ
a tra trà trả trã trá trạ
u tru trù trủ trũ trú trụ
ô trô trồ trổ trỗ trố trộ
o tro trò trỏ trõ tró trọ

Pronunciation

s[ʂ]

Vietnamese “s” (Northern standard) is a strong alveolar fricative /s/, but slightly sharper and more tense than English s.

Important:

Northern: s ≠ x (two different sounds)

Southern: s = x (they merge and sound like /s/)

Below explanation uses the standard Northern pronunciation.

1. How to Pronounce Vietnamese s

Place of articulation

Alveolar

→ Tip of the tongue is close to the alveolar ridge (ridge behind upper teeth)

Tongue position

Tongue tip: very close to the ridge (almost touching, but not quite)

Tongue blade: slightly raised

Tongue body: mid–low

Sides of tongue: raised enough so air only escapes through the center

Mouth / Lips

Lips slightly open

Not rounded

Mouth is narrow to create strong friction

Airflow

Very strong, narrow airflow

Produces a sharp “ssssss” sound

Tighter and more hissing than English /s/

Voicing

Voiceless (vocal cords do NOT vibrate)

2. Sound quality

Vietnamese s is:

Sharper than English s

Stronger airflow than Japanese サ行

Not rounded like English “sh” (/ʃ/)

Tones of syllables created by s
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
i si sì sỉ sĩ sí sị
y sy sỳ sỷ sỹ sý sỵ
ê sê sề sể sễ sế sệ
e se sè sẻ sẽ sé sẹ
ư sư sừ sử sữ sứ sự
ơ sơ sờ sở sỡ sớ sợ
a sa sà sả sã sá sạ
u su sù sủ sũ sú sụ
ô sô sồ sổ sỗ số sộ
o so sò sỏ sõ só sọ

Pronunciation

r[ʐ]

Important:

Vietnamese r has different pronunciations depending on the region.

1. Northern Vietnamese “r” (Hanoi)

In Hanoi Vietnamese, r is pronounced like the /z/ sound in English:

Similar to “z” in zoo, zero.

It is a voiced alveolar fricative.

The vocal cords vibrate.

Tongue position:

Tongue tip lightly touches or approaches the alveolar ridge (the ridge behind your upper teeth).

Air passes through a narrow space, creating friction.

2. Southern Vietnamese “r” (Ho Chi Minh)

Southern Vietnamese has two common variants, depending on the speaker.

Variant A: Voiced retroflex fricative /ʐ/

Pronounced like the retroflex “zh” sound.

Similar to the Polish “rz” or Mandarin “r” in “rén”.

Tongue:

Curl the tongue tip slightly up and back (retroflex position).

Vibrate the vocal cords.

Produce a strong buzzing friction (“zh”).

Variant B: Voiced alveolar trill /r/

(Some speakers, especially older or rural speakers)

Pronounced like a Spanish rolled R (“rr” in perro).

Tongue rapidly taps/vibrates at the alveolar ridge.

Not common among younger speakers in Saigon.

Tones of syllables created by r
Vowel
1st Tone
2nd Tone
3rd Tone
4th Tone
5th Tone
6th Tone
i ri rì rỉ rĩ rí rị
ê rê rề rể rễ rế rệ
e re rè rẻ rẽ ré rẹ
ư rư rừ rử rữ rứ rự
ơ rơ rờ rở rỡ rớ rợ
a ra rà rả rã rá rạ
u ru rù rủ rũ rú rụ
ô rô rồ rổ rỗ rố rộ
o ro rò rỏ rõ ró rọ
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.