The 6 tones, special letters, vowels, and how to read Vietnamese — the foundation everything else builds on.
Every Vietnamese syllable has one of these 6 tones. The same syllable with a different tone = a completely different word. The tone mark sits on the main vowel of the syllable.
Each tone has an official Vietnamese name — and each name is itself spoken with a tone. This is worth memorizing: teachers, tutors, and language resources all use these names, and each one demonstrates itself when you say it correctly.
| Word | Tone Name | Mark | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ma | Ngang (flat) | none | mah | Ghost |
| mà | Huyền (falling) | ` | mah ↘ | But / however |
| má | Sắc (rising) | ´ | mah ↗ | Cheek / mum (Southern) |
| mả | Hỏi (questioning) | ̉ | mah ↘↗ | Tomb / grave |
| mã | Ngã (broken) | ~ | mah ↗ (break) | Horse / code |
| mạ | Nặng (heavy) | . | mah ↘ (stop) | Rice seedling |
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning | Tone Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| bạn | bahn (heavy) | Friend / you | Nặng . |
| bán | bahn (rising) | To sell | Sắc ´ |
| bàn | bahn (falling) | Table / to discuss | Huyền ` |
| không | khome (flat) | No / not / zero | Ngang |
| khổng | khome (questioning) | Huge (as in Khổng Tử) | Hỏi ̉ |
| cảm ơn | kahm uhn | Thank you | Hỏi ̉ |
| ngon | ngawn (flat) | Delicious | Ngang |
| ngọn | ngawn (heavy) | Tip / flame | Nặng . |
Most Vietnamese consonants are straightforward. These are the ones that behave unexpectedly for English speakers.
| Letter(s) | Sounds like | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Đ / đ | Hard D — as in "dog" | đi = dee (go) | Has a stroke through it — different from D |
| D / d | Y — as in "yes" (Southern) | da = yah (skin) | Z in Northern Vietnamese |
| GI / gi | Y — as in "yes" (Southern) | giờ = yuh (hour) | Z in Northern Vietnamese |
| G / gh | Hard G — as in "go" | gà = gah (chicken) | GH used before E and I |
| NG / NGH | NG — as in "sing" | ngon = ngawn | Can start a word — practice: say "singing" fast |
| NH | NY — as in "canyon" | nhỏ = nyaw (small) | One sound, not N + H separately |
| PH | F — as in "fish" | phở = fuh | Always F, never P+H |
| TH | T with a puff of air | thì = tee (then) | NOT like English "the" — just an aspirated T |
| KH | KH — breathy K | không = khome | Like clearing your throat gently |
| X | S — as in "sun" | xin = sin | Always S, never KS like English X |
| C / K / Q | K — as in "king" | cà = kah, khi = khee | All three make the same K sound |
| CH | CH — as in "church" | chào = chow | Standard CH sound |
| TR | CH (Southern) / TR (Northern) | trà = chah (tea) | Southern: tr sounds like ch |
| R | R/Z/D depending on region | rẻ = reh/zeh | Southern: rolled R · Northern: Z-like |
Vietnamese words can only end in these sounds. This is different from English where almost any consonant can end a word.
| Ending | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -n | N | bạn = bahn |
| -m | M | cảm = kahm |
| -ng | NG (as in sing) | không = khome-ng |
| -nh | NY (softer than ng) | anh = anh |
| -c | K (stopped, no release) | học = hawk |
| -ch | CH (stopped) | sách = sahk |
| -p | P (stopped, no release) | hợp = hup |
| -t | T (stopped, no release) | một = moht |
| -i / -y | EE (glide) | tôi = toy |
| -u / -o | OO/W (glide) | mau = mow |
Vietnamese adds hats and hooks to create new vowel sounds. Each modified vowel is a distinct sound — not just a decorated version of the base letter.
| Vowel | Sounds like | Memory tip | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A / a | AH — as in "father" | Open mouth wide | ba = bah (three) |
| Ă / ă | Short AH — clipped | Like 'a' in "cat" but shorter | ăn = un (eat) |
| Â / â | UH — very short | Like 'a' in "about" | ân = un (grace) |
| E / e | EH — as in "bed" | Open E sound | em = em (younger sibling) |
| Ê / ê | EH — as in "set" (tighter) | Slightly more closed than E | đêm = dem (night) |
| I / i | EE — as in "see" | Pure EE sound | di = dee (go) |
| O / o | AW — as in "law" | Open O sound | con = kawn (child) |
| Ô / ô | OH — as in "go" | Closed O — lips more rounded | tôi = toy (I/me) |
| Ơ / ơ | UH — as in "fur" (no R) | Like English "her" without the R | ơn = uhn (grace/favor) |
| U / u | OO — as in "food" | Lips forward and rounded | uống = oo-ung (drink) |
| Ư / ư | UH — deeper, unrounded | Like OO but lips NOT rounded | ừ = uh (casual yes) |
| Y / y | EE — same as I | Interchangeable with I in many words | yêu = yew (love) |
| Combo | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ôi | OY — as in "boy" | tôi = toy (I) |
| ơi | UH-ee | ơi = uh-ee (hey!) |
| ai | AH-ee (like "eye") | hai = hi (two) |
| ao | OW — as in "cow" | chào = chow (hello) |
| au | OW — shorter | sau = sow (after) |
| âu | OH — rounded | đâu = doh (where) |
| ưa | UH-ah | mưa = myuh-ah (rain) |
| iê / yê | YEH | tiền = tyen (money) |
| uô | OO-oh | uống = oo-ung (drink) |
| ươ | UH-uh | được = duh-uk (can/OK) |
Vietnam has two main dialects. Neither is "correct" — they're just different. FluentSaigon teaches Southern Vietnamese (Saigon dialect). Here's what changes between them.
| Letter(s) | Southern (Saigon) 🏙️ | Northern (Hanoi) 🏛️ | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| D / d | Y sound (yes) | Z sound (zero) | da = yah / zah (skin) |
| GI / gi | Y sound (yes) | Z sound (zero) | giờ = yuh / zuh (hour) |
| V / v | V sound (van) | V or Y (varies) | về = veh (return) |
| TR / tr | CH sound (church) | TR sound (true) | trà = chah / trah (tea) |
| X / x | S sound (sun) | S sound (same) | xin = sin (please) |
| S / s | S sound (sun) | SH sound (shoe) — some speakers | sáng = sahng (morning) |
| R / r | R sound (rolled) | Z/R (varies by speaker) | rẻ = reh (cheap) |
| Ngã tone (~) | Merged with Hỏi — sounds same | Distinct broken/creaky sound | mã / mả → both sound like "mah↘↗" |
A few common words are different between North and South — but both versions are understood everywhere.
| Meaning | Southern 🏙️ | Northern 🏛️ |
|---|---|---|
| Father | ba | bố |
| Mother | má | mẹ |
| Thousand | ngàn | nghìn |
| Yes (polite) | dạ | vâng |
| Pineapple | thơm | dứa |
| Airplane | máy bay | máy bay (same) |
Cover the pronunciation column and try to read each word yourself first, then check.
| Vietnamese | How to Read It | Meaning | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| phở | fuh | Pho (noodle soup) | PH = F · ở = uh · hỏi tone |
| xin chào | sin chow | Hello | X = S · ch = ch · ào = falling ow |
| cảm ơn | kahm uhn | Thank you | C = K · ả = ah (hỏi) · ơn = uhn |
| không | khome | No / not | KH = breathy K · ông = ohm-ng |
| ngon | ngawn | Delicious | NG at start — practice in throat |
| bạn | bahn | Friend / you | ạ = ah with dot below (nặng) |
| được | duh-uk | OK / can / possible | Đ = hard D · ươc = uh-uk |
| tôi | toy | I / me | ôi = oy (like "boy") |
| giờ | yuh (South) / zuh (North) | Hour / o'clock | GI = Y in South, Z in North |
| nhỏ | nyaw | Small | NH = NY · ỏ = aw (hỏi tone) |
| đường | duh-ung | Road / sugar | Đ = hard D · ường = uh-ung · huyền |
| tiền | tyen | Money | iê = yeh · n = final n |
| thích | tick | To like | TH = aspirated T · ich = ick (stopped) |
| rất | rut | Very | R · ất = ut (nặng — heavy, short) |
| người | nguh-ee | Person / people | NG start · ười = uh-ee (glide) |
PH = F · 2. X = S · 3. GI = Y (South) · 4. D = Y (South)NH = NY · 6. NG = ng-sound (as in sing)TH = aspirated T (not "the") · 8. TR = CH (South)Đ = hard D · 10. Tone mark on vowel = tone of whole syllable
You've read the cheat sheet — now put it to the test.
🎯 Take the Alphabet & Tones Quiz →