Section 6: Combined Vowels – Triphthongs

Besides the single vowels and the diphthongs, there are also triphthongs in Vietnamese, which are made up of three letters.

In the scope of this lesson, we look at the sounds you will encounter more often. They are:

• IÊU – YÊU
• OAI – OAY
• UÔI
• UYA – UYÊ
• ƯƠI – ƯƠU

To pronounce these sounds, you need to break them down into smaller units. The recommended method is to separate them into a single vowel and a diphthong.

• IÊU/YÊU = I + ÊU = IÊ + U
• OAI = O + AI
• OAY = O + AY
• UÔI = U + ÔI = UÔ + I
• UYA/UYÊ = U + IA = UY + Ê
• ƯƠI = Ư + ƠI
• ƯƠU = ƯƠ + U

Let’s look at them in more details, along with some examples:

1. IÊU & YÊU

They are two variations of the same sound:

• YÊU stands alone and make up words on its own (with the help of tones)
• IÊU is used when there are other consonants in front of it.

In the South, people sometimes omit the Ê, making it the IU sound.

Examples:

• Yêu – Yếu
• Kiêu – Liều – Miếu – Chiều

Standard Pronunciation:

Southern Accent:

2. OAI vs. OAY

These are two confusing sounds, as I and Y sound the same in Vietnamese. However, if we break them down into smaller units, we’ll see that:

• OAI = O + AI ⇒ The mouth is wider at the end, with some tension in the cheeks
• OAY = O + AY ⇒ The mouth is narrower at the end, and the cheek muscles are more relaxed

Examples:

• Loài – Hoài – Ngoại – Xoài
  
• Loay hoay – Xoay
  

3. UÔI

• This sound is unique and is unlikely to be confused with any other sounds.
• In the South, people sometimes turn this sound into UI, omitting the Ô in the middle.

Examples: Tuổi – Buổi – Chuối – Cuối

• Standard pronunciation:
  
• Southern accent:
  

4. UYA & UYÊ

They are two variations of the same sound:

• UYA is used only with KH to form the word KHUYA
• UYÊ is used for all other cases. There must always be a consonant after this sound.

Examples:

• Khuya
• Uyên – Huyên thuyên – Thuyền – Nhuyễn – Chuyền

5. ƯƠI

• This sound is unique and is unlikely to be confused with any other sounds.
• In the South, people sometimes turn this sound into ƯI, omitting the Ơ in the middle.

Examples: Mười – Dưới – Cưỡi – Đười ươi

• Standard pronunciation:
  
• Southern accent:
  

6. ƯƠU

• This is a unique sound but can be very tricky to pronounce.
• In the North, people often simplify it by turning it to IÊU, which is easier to pronounce.
• In the South, people tend to turn this sound into ƯU, omitting the Ơ in the middle.

Examples: Hươu – Khướu – Rượu

• Standard pronunciation:
  
• Northern accent – simplified:
  
• Southern accent:
  

Let’s have some practice: