Vietnamese has 29 letters. Some plain letters sound different from English, like d and x, and many sounds take two or three letters, like ng and ngh.
| Group | Letters |
|---|---|
| 12 vowels | a ă â e ê i o ô ơ u ư y |
| 17 consonants | b c d đ g h k l m n p q r s t v x |
| In order | a ă â b c d đ e ê g h i k l m n o ô ơ p q r s t u ư v x y |
F, j, w and z aren't in the alphabet. You'll see them mostly in borrowed words and names.
| New Vowel | Sounds Like | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ă | a short a, like the u in cut | ăn | to eat |
| â | a short uh, like the second a in balance | cân | to weigh |
| ê | the ay in day, held steady | cà phê | coffee |
| ô | the o in story | cô | aunt |
| ơ | a long uh, like the ur in hurt said without the r | phở | a noodle soup |
| ư | an oo with your lips spread flat | thư | a letter you mail |
The tone marks sit on top of these letters or under them. Our guide to Vietnamese tones and marks shows all six tones.
| Letter | Sounds Like | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| đ | the d in day | đi | to go |
| d | a z in Hanoi, a y in the south | da | skin |
| r | a z in Hanoi, an r in the south | ra | to go out |
| v | a v in Hanoi, a y in the south | và | and |
| x | the s in sun | xin | to ask for |
| s | the same as x in Hanoi | sáu | six |
The sounds below are the Hanoi sounds. In the south, qu sounds like a w and tr is said with the tongue curled back.
| Pair | Sounds Like | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ph | the f in fun | phở | a noodle soup |
| th | a t with a puff of air, as in top | thư | a letter you mail |
| kh | the ch in Scottish loch | không | no |
| ch | close to the ch in chin | chào | hello |
| tr | the same as ch in Hanoi | trà | tea |
| nh | the ny in canyon | nhà | house |
| ng | the ng in sing, even at the start of a word | người | person |
| ngh | the same as ng | nghe | to hear |
| gi | a z in Hanoi, a y in the south | gia | family |
| qu | kw, as in quick | quả | fruit |
Ng and ngh spell the same sound. Ngh comes before e, ê and i, and ng goes everywhere else. Gh works the same way for the g sound.
The spelling came from Latin, the same way English got cat, kite and queen. K goes before i, y, e and ê, and c goes everywhere else, as in cô (aunt). Q always comes with u, and qu sounds like kw.
A Vietnamese word can end in only eight consonant sounds. With p, t, c and ch, your mouth closes and the sound stops, with no puff of air.
| Ending | What It Does | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| p | stops with no puff of air | đẹp | pretty |
| t | stops with no puff of air | một | one |
| c | stops with no puff of air | học | to study |
| ch | stops with no puff of air | sách | book |
| m | hums through the nose | em | younger sibling |
| n | hums through the nose | ăn | to eat |
| ng | hums through the nose | ông | grandfather |
| nh | hums through the nose | anh | older brother |
In the south, một ends like a c and ăn ends like ăng.
Free Quốc Ngữ Course
- Audio for Every Word
- Real Example Words
0 of 4 Chapters Complete
In the Quốc Ngữ course, you meet the seven new letters first, then letters like d and x that surprise English readers, then the endings and the six tones. You can tap every word to hear it.
In the Bubblegum app, you can pick Northern, Central or Southern Vietnamese, and Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons for the one you pick.
How Many Letters Are in the Vietnamese Alphabet?
There are 29 letters: 12 vowels and 17 consonants. Pairs like nh and ng are written with letters from the 29, so they don't add to the count.
Which Vietnamese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Vietnamese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Vietnamese app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Vietnamese alphabet (12 vowels and 17 consonants; f, j, w and z only in loanwords; the digraphs ch, gh, gi, kh, ng, nh, ph, qu, th, tr and the trigraph ngh; k before i, y, e and ê; pronunciation by region)
- Unicode CLDR, Vietnamese locale data (the 29 letters in alphabet order)
- Wikipedia, Help:IPA/Vietnamese (English sound matches for each vowel: ă as in RP cut, â as in balance, ê as in day, ô as in story, ơ as in RP hurt, ư unrounded)
- Bubblegum: Quốc Ngữ course (the Hanoi sound of d, gi, r and v, x and s, the letter pairs, ng and ngh, and endings that stop or hum)
