Northern Vietnamese Vowels
Vietnamese has more distinct vowel sounds than English. Each row below pairs a vowel with a short pronunciation guide and example words — tap a word to hear it. The highlighted letters are the vowel to listen for.
a
Like the a in 'father' — a long, open 'ah'.
ă
Like the a in 'father', but very short and clipped.
â
Like the u in 'cup' — a short 'uh'.
e
Like the e in 'bed'.
ê
Like the e in 'they', but pure — without the 'y' glide at the end.
i
Like the ee in 'see'.
o
Like the aw in 'saw' (or the o in 'hot').
ô
Like the o in 'go', but pure — without the 'w' glide at the end.
ơ
Like the ir in 'bird' (without pronouncing the r).
u
Like the oo in 'food'.
ư
No English equivalent: say the oo in 'food', but pull your lips back flat instead of rounding them.
iê / ia
A glide from 'ee' to 'uh', like saying 'ee-yuh' quickly.
uô / ua
A glide from 'oo' to 'uh', like 'oo-uh'.
ươ / ưa
A glide from the lips-back 'ư' toward 'uh'.
uôi
The 'oo-uh' glide finished with a 'y', like 'oo-oy'.
ươi
The lips-back 'ươ' glide finished with a 'y'.
iêu
The 'ee-uh' glide finished with a 'w', like 'ee-yoo'.