Pronunciation

Basic sound

Vietnamese h is pronounced as a voiceless glottal fricative /h/, similar to the English h in “hat”, “hello”, “hot”.

How to produce the sound

Place of articulation: glottis (throat)

Manner: fricative, breath passing through the open vocal folds

Voicing: voiceless (vocal cords do not vibrate)

Detailed pronunciation steps

Keep your mouth open naturally—no special tongue position.

Vocal cords are open, creating soft airflow.

Use breath, not voice.

Tongue stays low and relaxed.

Air flows freely from your throat outward.

Important notes

Vietnamese h is usually weaker and breathier than English h.

At the beginning of syllables, it is clear:

ha, he, ho, hu, hư, hi

At the end of syllables, h never appears.

Before certain vowels, h slightly changes:

hi /hⁱ/ → tongue rises because of the vowel, not because of the consonant

hu /hu/ → lips rounded because of vowel, not consonant