Section 3: Single Vowels

There are 12 single vowels in Vietnamese, they are: a, ă, â, e, ê, i, o, ô, ơ, u, ư, y.

Let’s look at the groups of similar vowels and how to form them.

1/ A – Ă – Â

Spelling and writing:

+) A does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter A in English.

+) Ă has a curve-up mark above the letter A. It is always followed by another consonant in order to form words.

+) Â has a hat mark above the letter A. It is always followed by another consonant in order to form words.

General pronunciation:

+) A: As in Last, Pass, Harm

+) Ă: As in Cut, Shut, Much

+) Â: As in An, But (weak form)

Sound articulation:

+) To produce the sound “A” , simply open your mouth wide and relax your tongue.

+) To produce the sound “Ă”, open your mouth but do not make it too wide. The side of your tongue should slightly touch your teeth.

+) To produce the sound “”, open your mouth a little while relaxing your lips, jaw and tongue. Imagine you’re being unsure about something and make the “err” sound.

Examples:

(1) An – Ăn – Ân

(2) Bán – Bắn – Bấn

(3) Cát – Cắt – Cất

(4) Mạn – Mặn – Mận

2/ E – Ê

Spelling and writing:

+) E does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter E in English.

+) Ê has a hat mark above the letter E.

General pronunciation:

+) E: As in Bed, Bread, Get

+) Ê: As in Say, Pay without the /i/ sound at the end

Sound articulation:

+) To produce the sound “E”, open your mouth wide like smiling and keep your lips close to each other. Your tongue should also be relaxed.

+) To produce the sound “Ê”, open your mouth a little and keep your lips a bit apart. The side of your tongue should slightly touch your teeth.

Examples:

(1) Me – Mê

(2) Bèn – Bền

(3) Hét – Hết

(4) Lẽ – Lễ

3/ O – Ô – Ơ

Spelling and writing:

+) O does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter O in English.

+) Ô has a hat mark above the letter O.

+) Ơ has a hook mark slightly to the top right side of the letter O.

General pronunciation:

+) O: As in Hot, Pot

+) Ô: As in Fall, All

+) Ơ: As in Bird, Turn

Sound articulation:

+) To produce the sound “O”, open your mouth wide and round your lips as much as you can.

+) To produce the sound “Ô”, open your mouth wide and round your lips. However, this time push your lips forward.

To produce the sound “Ơ”, totally relax your mouth, lips and jaw. Open your teeth a little to allow the air to freely flow.

Examples:

(1) Ho – Hô – Hơ

(2) Bó – Bố – Bớ

(3) Sót – Sốt – Sớt

(4) Đòn – Đồn – Đờn

4/ U – Ư

Spelling and writing:

+) U does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter U in English.

+) Ư has a hook mark on the top right side of the letter U.

General pronunciation:

+) U: As in True, Two

+) Ư: As in Pull, Push

Sound articulation:

+) To produce the sound “U”, open your mouth just a little and round your lips as much as you can. Also, push your lips forward a little.

+) To produce the sound “Ư”, open your mouth a little and relax your lips and jaws. The back of your tongue should slightly touch your teeth. If you have problems articulating the sound, clench your teeth as well. Just make sure your lips stay open.

Examples:

(1) Tu – Tư

(2) Chú – Chứ

(3) Thùng – Thừng

(4) Cũ – Cữ

5/ I – Y

Spelling and writing:

+) I does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter I in English. We refer to this letter as “i ngắn”, which means “the short i”.

+) Y does not have any distinct mark and is the same as the letter Y in English. We refer to this letter as “i dài”, which means “the long y”.

General pronunciation:

Both I and Y are pronounced the same as the /i:/ sound in English.

Sound articulation:

To produce the sound i or y, widen your lips to the side as if smiling. Your teeth should be slightly opened, and the tongue should be relaxed.

Examples:

(1) Yến – Yên – Yết

(2) Im – Ỉn – Ích

(3) Kí – Kỵ/Kị

(4) Kiên – Kiến

(5) Bịt – Xịn – Kịp

Let’s have some practice :