Pronunciation

Vietnamese i is pronounced exactly the same as “y.”

Both are the vowel /i/.

Basic Sound

Vietnamese i = high front unrounded vowel /i/

Same as:

English “see”, “machine”

Articulation Details

Tongue

High (close to the roof of the mouth)

Front (toward the upper front teeth)

The sides of the tongue lightly touch the upper molars.

Lips

Unrounded

Slightly spread or relaxed, like a small smile.

Jaw

Slightly closed, not wide open.

Voicing

Voiced (vocal cords vibrate).

Smooth, steady airflow.

Airflow

Straight out through the mouth.

No friction (not like “sh,” not like “s”).

Tenseness

Compared to English:

Sometimes tenser and clearer.

Not as diphthong-like as English “EE.”

(English sometimes glides toward /ɪ/ at the end; Vietnamese does not.)

Pronunciation

Basic Sound

Vietnamese ê is similar to:

English “ay” in “say,” “lake,” “day” (but no glide)

The pure vowel at the start of “a” in “they” (not ei, just e)

It is a pure monophthong — no diphthong glide like English.

Articulation Details

Tongue

Mid-high (between /e/ and /i/)

Front position

Very slightly tense

Sides of tongue touch the upper molars lightly

Lips

Unrounded

Slightly spread or neutral

Jaw

Partially closed (more closed than “e” but more open than “i”)

Voicing

Voiced (vocal cords vibrate)

Airflow

Smooth airflow

No friction

Pronunciation

Basic Sound

Vietnamese e is pronounced like:

English “e” in “bed”, “red”, “men”

NOT like English “say” (which has a glide)

It’s a pure, single vowel (monophthong).

Articulation Details

Tongue

Front of tongue is raised, but lower than ê.

Tongue body is mid-low.

Sides of tongue lightly touch upper teeth.

Lips

Unrounded (not rounded)

Slightly spread, like a gentle smile.

Jaw

Slightly more open than for “ê”

Mouth feels relaxed and open.

Voicing

Voiced (vocal cords vibrate)

Airflow

Smooth and steady

No friction or aspiration