Northern Vietnamese Tones
Northern Vietnamese uses six tones — the pitch of a syllable changes its meaning. This page lets you hear each one. Tap a syllable to play it, and listen for how the pitch moves.
ngang (level, flat)
A flat, level pitch that stays steady — the "no mark" baseline tone.
huyền (low, falling)
Starts low and falls gently, like a quiet sigh.
sắc (high, rising)
Rises sharply to a high pitch.
hỏi (dipping, asking)
Dips down and then comes back up, like a questioning "huh?".
ngã (broken, rising)
Rises with a brief catch or break in the middle.
nặng (heavy, dropping)
Drops fast and heavy, cut short low in the voice.