حرف صحیحs |
IPA | Examples | English approximation |
ʔ |
anh (pronounced before a vowel) |
button (glottal stop) |
ɓ |
ba [ʔb] |
almost like bee |
c~tɕ |
chè (Saigon final [t] after e/i/y [1]) |
cheese (unaspirated) |
ɗ |
đi [ʔd] |
almost like day |
f |
phở |
fight |
h |
hàng |
high |
j |
tây; mai (may follow all vowels but e/i/y [1]) |
yellow |
k |
cô, kem |
sky |
l |
là |
low |
m |
mai |
my |
n |
nam (Saigon final [ŋ] after a/o/u [2]) |
no |
ɲ |
nhà (Saigon final [n] after after e/i/y [1]) |
roughly like singing |
ŋ |
ngam (before a/o/u [2]); nghe (before e/i/y [1]) |
singer |
p |
đáp |
sport |
s |
xa |
so |
ʂ |
sao (Hanoi [s]) |
almost like show |
t |
tây (Saigon final [k] after o/u [2]) |
stop |
tʰ |
thầy |
top |
ʈʂ |
tra [ʈ] (Hanoi c~tɕ) |
almost like choose (unaspirated) |
v |
về ([j] in informal Southern Vietnamese) |
van |
w |
câu; oanh (Hanoi initial [ʔw]) (may follow all vowels but a/o/u [2]) |
we |
x |
khô (Saigon [kʰ]) |
loch (Scottish English) |
ɣ |
ga (before a/o/u [2]); ghế (before e/i/y [1]) |
No English equivalent ; amigo in Spanish |
z |
da; già (Saigon [j]) |
zero |
ʐ |
ra (Hanoi [z], Saigon could be [ɹ]) |
almost like pleasure |
|
Monophthongs |
IPA |
Examples | English approximation |
ă |
ăn; anh |
almost like cut |
a |
ba [3] |
between cat and father |
e |
về |
almost like sit |
ɛ |
xe |
set |
ə̆ |
ân; bênh |
person |
ɤ |
bơ [ɤː] |
almost like sir (British English) |
i |
khi; quy |
see |
ɯ |
tư |
No English equivalent ; unrounded [u] |
o |
cô |
almost like good |
ɔ |
có; xoong |
law |
u |
ru |
too |
Diphthongs |
IPA |
Examples | English approximation |
iə |
viên, bia |
beer (British English) |
ɯə |
xương, chưa |
No English equivalent |
uə |
uống, mua |
sure (British English) |
ʷ |
(see /w/ above) |
we |
Tones |
IPA |
Examples |
a ə |
a (Hanoi [˧], Saigon [˧]) |
â ə̂ |
à (Hanoi [˨˩], Saigon [˨˩]) |
ǎ ə̌ |
á (Hanoi [˧˥], Saigon [˧˥]) |
a᷉ ə᷉[4] |
ả (Hanoi [˧˩], Saigon [˧˩˧]) |
ǎˀ ə̌ˀ |
ã (Hanoi [˧ˀ˥], Saigon [˧˩˧]) |
âˀ ə̂ˀ |
ạ (Hanoi [˧ˀ˩ʔ], Saigon [˨˧]) |
ə́k[5] |
ấc (Hanoi [˦˥], Saigon [˦˥]) |
ə̀k[5] |
ậc (Hanoi [˩], Saigon [˩]) |
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