Vietnamese Vowels & Consonants: A Pronunciation Guide
Vietnamese has 12 vowels and 17 consonants. Learn how each sounds, the tricky ones (ư, ơ, đ, ng, tr), and how vowels combine.
Quick answer
Vietnamese has 12 vowels (a, ă, â, e, ê, i/y, o, ô, ơ, u, ư) and 17 consonants. Six vowels, ă, â, ê, ô, ơ, ư, are modified letters English speakers must learn as new sounds. The trickiest are ư and ơ.
This is the deep dive that supports the Vietnamese alphabet guide. If you've got the letters down, here's how each actually sounds.
Vietnamese vowels
| Vowel | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | "ah" (father) | ba (three) |
| ă | short "ah" | ăn (eat) |
| â | "uh" (but) | sân (yard) |
| e | "eh" (bet) | em (younger one) |
| ê | "ay" (day) | đêm (night) |
| i / y | "ee" | đi (go) |
| o | "aw" (law) | con (child) |
| ô | "oh" (go) | cô (aunt) |
| ơ | "ur" (fur, unrounded) | mơ (dream) |
| u | "oo" (food) | mua (buy) |
| ư | tense "uh," lips spread | tư (fourth) |
The modified vowels (ă â ê ô ơ ư)
These six carry diacritics that change the sound, not the tone. The hardest two:
- ơ, say "ur" as in "fur" but without rounding your lips.
- ư, pull your lips back as if smiling and make a tight "uh." There's no English equivalent, so practice it in isolation.
Vowel combinations (diphthongs)
Vietnamese glides vowels together smoothly:
- ai ("eye"), ao ("ow"), au ("ah-oo")
- ươ as in được, uô as in muốn, iê as in tiền
These feel natural with a little pronunciation practice.
Vietnamese consonants
Most consonants are close to English, but a few need attention:
| Consonant | Sound |
|---|---|
| đ | hard "d" (dog) |
| d / gi | "z" (North) / "y" (South) |
| ng / ngh | "ng" at the start of a word |
| tr | "tr" / "ch" |
| kh | throaty "kh" (like Scottish "loch") |
| ph | "f" |
| x | "s" |
Initial vs final consonants
A consonant at the end of a syllable behaves differently: -c, -t, -p, -ch are unreleased (you form them but don't release air), and -ng, -nh are nasal. This is why học ends with a soft stop, not a hard "k." Full detail in how to pronounce Vietnamese words.
Sources
- Vietnamese phonology. Linguistic reference for the vowel and consonant inventory, the ư/ơ contrast, digraphs, and unreleased final consonants.
- Vietnamese alphabet. Linguistic reference for the 12 vowels and 17 consonants.
Frequently asked questions
How many vowels does Vietnamese have?
Vietnamese has 12 vowels: a, ă, â, e, ê, i/y, o, ô, ơ, u, ư. Several (ă, â, ê, ô, ơ, ư) are modified letters with sounds English speakers must learn separately.
How many consonants does Vietnamese have?
There are 17 single-letter consonants, plus digraphs and trigraphs like ng, ngh, ch, tr, ph, and gi that each represent one sound.
What is the hardest Vietnamese vowel?
ư is usually the hardest, a tense 'uh' made with spread, unrounded lips, with no close English equivalent. ơ (an unrounded 'ur') is a close second.
What's the difference between ơ and ư?
Both are unrounded, but ơ is more open (like 'ur' in 'fur') while ư is higher and tenser (a tight 'uh'). They contrast meaning, so the distinction matters.