Section 9: Combined Consonants 2

In this section, we look at some combined consonants that often cause trouble for non-native speakers.

They are NH, NG/NGH, KH, and TH

1. NH

Pronunciation:

To produce this sound, you need to:

• Step 1: Flatten your tongue and spread it inside your mouth
• Step 2: Put the tip of the tongue so that it touches the area just before the teeth
• Now, the NH sound can appear in two places in a word:
  • If the NH sound is at the start of the word: Open your mouth and release the air by lowering the tongue from its original position.
  • If the NH sound is at the end of the word: Return the tongue to the position in step 2. You must not release the air in this case.

Examples:

• Nhà – Nhỏ – Nhìn – Nhưng
• Kinh – Bánh – Lạnh – Nhanh

2. NG/NGH

Spelling and Writing:

NG and NGH are two variations of the same sound. The difference between them is in terms of writing:

• NGH is used before the 3 letters – I, E, and Ê. It can only stand at the beginning of the word.
• NG is used before all the other letters. It can also appear at the end of a word.

Pronunciation:

While the NG sound exists in English, it only stands at the end of a word. However, in Vietnamese, it stands at the beginning of the word as well, and this is where it causes problems for non-native speakers.

To produce the NG sound, you need to:

• Step 1: Open your mouth a little.
• Step 2: Raise the back of your tongue so that it covers as much of the throat as possible.
• Now, depending on the position of the NG sound in a word, the next step differs:
  • If the NG sound is at the start of the word: Gradually lower the back of the tongue and let the air flow out.
  • If the NG sound is at the end of the word: Return the tongue to the position in step 2. You must not release the air in this case.

Examples:

• Nghe – Nghề – Nghĩ
• Nga – Ngủ – Người
• Mong – Mắng – Mừng
• Ngang – Nghiêng – Ngóng

3. KH

KH is a difficult sound, as it does not have an equivalent in English. KH only appears at the beginning of a word.

Pronunciation:

Think of the “snoring” sound you often hear. To produce this sound, you need to:

• Use the back and sides of your tongues to block most of your throat, leaving only a very narrow passage for the air to escape.
• Do not use explosive force. Release the air slowly only, or you may be producing the C/K sound.

Examples:

• Không – Khá – Khí – Khế
• Khổ – Khách – Khinh – Khao

4. TH

Pronunciation:

The TH sound in Vietnamese is a mix between the TH and the T sound in English. To produce it, you need to:

• Put the tip of your tongue right behind the upper teeth. Do not stick it out between your teeth.
• Lower the tongue as you open your mouth and let the air flow out slowly.
• Do not use explosive force, or you will be making a T sound.

Examples:

• Thỏ – Thu – Thôi – Thế
• Thư – Thành – Thích – Thầy

Let’s have some practice: