The Alphabet

The Vietnamese Alphabet

The Vietnamese alphabet is the foundation of the language, consisting of 29 letters with a rich system of vowels and consonants. This guide breaks down the phonetics to aid your learning journey.

Alphabet

Click on any letter to see its pronunciation:

Vowel System

The Vietnamese language has 11 simple vowels and 12 distinct vowel letters, each with unique phonemes critical for accurate pronunciation.

Simple Vowels

The 11 simple vowels are:

• a, ă, â, e, ê, i, o, ô, ơ, u, ư, y

Understanding the Three ‘A’ Vowels

Vietnamese has three distinct ‘a’ sounds, each with a unique pronunciation:

Vowel	Pronunciation	Example Word
a	———————————–	An
ă	———————–	Ăn
â	————–	Ân

Vowel Series

The vowels are grouped into series based on their phonetic characteristics:

• E Series: e, ê
• O Series: o, ô, ơ
• U Series: u, ư
• I and Y:
  • i: Known as i ngắn (short i)
  • y: Known as y dài (long y)

Note: The letters i and y have distinct pronunciations despite their visual similarity. Understanding this distinction is crucial for accurate pronunciation.

Consonant System

Vietnamese consonants are divided into simple and compound consonants, with specific roles as initial or final sounds in syllables.

In Vietnamese phonetics, certain consonants share similar sounds but differ in their spelling based on the vowels that follow them:

• “c” and “k” both produce the same hard [k] sound.
• “g” and “gh” both produce the same [g] sound.
• “ng” and “ngh” both produce the nasal [n] sound (like the “ng” in “sing”).

However, their usage depends on the vowel that follows:

• “k”, “gh” and “ngh” are only used before the front vowels: “i”, “y”, “e” and “ê” Example: khi, ghế, nghĩ
• “c”, “g” and “ng” are used before all the other vowels: “a”, “ă”, “â”, “o”, “ô”, “ơ”, and “u” Example: cá, gà, ngô

Note: This rule helps maintain clarity in pronunciation and spelling, especially for learners navigating Vietnamese’s phonetic system.

Simple Consonants

There are 16 simple consonants: b, d, đ, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x.

Initial Simple Consonants

The following consonants can appear at the start of a syllable:

Consonant	Example Word	Meaning
b	bạn, bận, ba	friend, busy, dad/three
m	mẹ, mèo, mở	mom, cat, open
v	và, về, vâng	and, back, yes (formal)
t	tôi, tám, tìm	I, eight, find
đ	đi, đó, đau	go, that, pain
x	xe, xấu, xạo	vehicle, ugly, liar
l	lớn, làm, là	big, work, am/is/are
n	no, nam, nữ	full, male, female
s	sáu, sau, sợ	six, after, scared
r	rồi, rủ, rán	already, invite, deep fried
h	ho, hè, hứa	cough, summer, promise

Final Simple Consonants

These consonants can appear at the end of a syllable:

Consonant	Example Word	Meaning
m	tám, tăm, cầm	eight, toothpick, hold
n	ăn, bán, xuân	eat, sell, spring
p	họp, bóp, hợp	meeting, wallet, suitable
t	tốt, hết, sốt	good, over, fever
c	học, đọc, khóc	study, read, cry

Compound Consonants

There are 11 compound consonants: gh, ph, ch, tr, qu, gi, th, kh, nh, ng, ngh.

Initial Compound Consonants

These consonants appear at the start of a syllable:

Consonant	Example Word	Meaning
ph	phim, phở, phòng	film, flat noodle, room
th	thích, thêm, thấp	like, extra, short
ng	ngủ, ngồi, người	sleep, sit, people
ngh	nghe, nghĩ, nghề	listen, think, job
tr	trưa, trong, trà	afternoon, in, tea
ch	chợ, cho, chậm	market, give/for, slow
nh	nhỏ, nhà, nhớ	small, house, miss/remember
kh	khi, khó, không	when, difficult, no

Tip: The consonants gh and ngh are pronounced similarly to g and ng but are used to differentiate spelling in dictation.

Final Compound Consonants

These consonants appear at the end of a syllable:

Consonant	Example Word	Meaning
nh	anh, bánh, rảnh	older brother, cake, free (time)
ng	không, tháng, cảng	no, month, harbor
ch	sách, sạch, mạch	book, clean, vein

Pronunciation Guide by Articulation

To help with pronunciation, consonants can be categorized by where they are articulated in the mouth:

Articulation Point	Consonants
Lips	b, m, p, ph, v
Tongue (behind or between teeth)	t, đ, n, x/s, d/gi, r, l, th
Back of mouth	ch/tr, nh
Back of throat	k/c/q, ng/ngh, kh, g/gh
Natural	h