Vietnamese vowels are pure: your mouth takes one shape and holds it. English vowels slide. Say "no" slowly and you'll hear it end in a "w". Vietnamese doesn't do that, so holding still is the first habit to learn.
Three things make each vowel different:
- How open your mouth is: from nearly closed (i, u) to wide open (a).
- Your lips: rounded and pushed forward (u, ô, o) or spread (i, ê, ư).
- Your tongue: forward in the mouth (i, ê, e) or pulled back (u, ô, o, ư, ơ).
2.1 The single vowels
There are twelve vowel letters but only eleven sounds, because i and y sound the same.
| Vowel | Sounds like | Your mouth | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| "ah" in father, long | wide open, tongue relaxed | three; dad | |
| ă | a short, clipped "ah" | like a, but cut short | to eat |
| â | a short "uh", as in but | half open, relaxed | warm |
| "e" in bed, a little more open | jaw low, lips spread | younger sibling | |
| "ay" in say, without the "-ee" at the end | half closed, lips spread | name | |
| / y | "ee" in see | nearly closed, lips spread like a smile | to go |
| "aw" in law | open, lips loosely rounded | to have | |
| "oh", but without the "-w" at the end | half closed, lips rounded and pushed forward | aunt; Miss | |
| "uh" in her, without the r | half open, everything relaxed | cooked rice | |
| "oo" in food | nearly closed, lips rounded and pushed forward | rice noodles | |
| "oo" with your lips spread | nearly closed, lips spread like a smile | letter |
Two more things to know:
- ă and â are always short, and something always follows them: a consonant (ăn, ấm) or a short u or y (sâu, cây). They never end a syllable.
- i and y are the same sound. Which one is written depends on the word, so learn the spelling with each word: Mỹ, quý, đi, chị.
Listen to the vowels with the same consonant in front. Then use "Quiz me" to test your ear.
2.2 Vowels that are easy to mix up
Most of the trouble comes from four groups. In each one, change only one thing about your mouth.
a, ă and â
a is long and open. ă is the same sound, just shorter. â is short too, but more relaxed, like the "u" in but.
In the South, is a wax apple (rose apple). In the North the same word means plum. Also note that many Southern speakers end words like with an -ng sound ("ăng"). Chapter 5 explains why.
e and ê
e is open, with your jaw low, like bed. ê is more closed, like say without the glide at the end.
o, ô and ơ
o is open, with lips loosely rounded ("aw"). ô has the lips tightly rounded and pushed forward ("oh"). ơ has no rounding at all: relax everything and say "uh".
English "oh" slides into a "w": no-w, go-w. Vietnamese ô holds still. Keep your lips frozen until the sound ends.
u and ư
u is "oo" with rounded lips. ư uses the same tongue position, but with your lips spread wide.
To find ư: say "oooo", then slowly pull your lips into a smile without moving your tongue. The sound that comes out is ư.
ư is the vowel English speakers find strangest. Exaggerate the smile at first. You can relax it once your ear knows the sound.
2.3 Two vowels together
Many syllables glide from one vowel to another. The first vowel is usually the main one and the second is a quick finish. The exceptions are oa, oe, uy and uê, where the first vowel is a quick "w".
| Spelling | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ai | "eye" | two |
| ay | a shorter "eye" | hand |
| ao | "ow" in how | hello |
| au | a short "ah", closing fast to "oo" | after |
| âu | "oh" in go, with the glide | where |
| ây | "ay" in day | here |
| eo | "eh" sliding to "aw" | cat |
| êu | "ay" sliding to "oo" | if |
| iu | "ee-oo", as in few | tiny |
| oi | "oy" in boy | to speak |
| ôi | "oh-ee" | I, me |
| ơi | "uh-ee" | to play |
| ui | "oo-ee" | happy |
| ưi | "ư-ee" | to smell |
| ưu | "ư-oo" | to save |
| oa | "wa" | flower |
| oe | "weh" | healthy, well |
| uy | "wee" | although |
| uê | "way" | hometown |
The tricky pairs are ai / ay and ao / au. In ay and au, the a is short and the second vowel comes quickly.
The o group from 2.2 comes back here with an -i on the end:
2.4 One sound, two spellings
Three glides are spelled two ways, depending on what comes after them. The sound doesn't change.
| Sound | Nothing after it | A consonant after it |
|---|---|---|
| "ee-uh" | ia: sugarcane, to share | iê: money, language |
| "oo-uh" | ua: to buy, of | uô: to want, to drink |
| "ư-uh" | ưa: rain, milk | ươ: water, road |
One more rule: when nothing comes before "ee-uh", it's written yê: (to love), (calm).
The second half of each glide is a short, soft "uh". Don't say it as a full second syllable: is one quick syllable, not "mee-ah".
In everyday Southern speech, some of these glides shrink to a single vowel before certain endings: often sounds like "mún", and (to look for) like "kím". You'll still write them the long way.
Why is it mía but tiếng?
Nothing follows the glide in mía, so it's spelled ia. In tiếng the consonant ng follows, so it's iê.
How do you spell "to love"?
yêu. Nothing comes before the glide, so it starts with y: .
2.5 Three vowels together
A few syllables have three vowels. Don't panic: each one is a vowel you know plus a pair you know.
| Spelling | Break it down | Example | Often in the South |
|---|---|---|---|
| iêu / yêu | iê + u | much, many | "nhìu" |
| oai | o + ai | mango | |
| oay | o + ay | to turn | |
| uôi | uô + i | banana | "chúi" |
| uyê | u + yê | story | |
| ươi | ươ + i | person | "ngừi" |
| ươu | ươ + u | alcohol | "rựu" |
Some more to try: (afternoon), (age), (ten), (to laugh), (boat), and (late at night), the only word spelled uya.
Southern speakers often drop the middle vowel in relaxed speech, as the table shows. It's good to recognise both versions, but say the full version until you're comfortable. It's always understood.
2.6 Practice
Listen and pick the vowel. Then try each set with "Play all" and repeat after every word.
Vocabulary
| Vietnamese | English |
|---|---|
| two | |
| hand | |
| where | |
| here | |
| to speak | |
| I, me (Southern, casual) | |
| healthy, well | |
| to buy | |
| rain | |
| to drink | |
| water | |
| person | |
| to love | |
| much, many | |
| age | |
| to want |
Flashcards
Study Vietnamese (Southern) › 02 Vowels in the Anki deck.