Pronunciation

Vietnamese “ư” is the vowel:

/ɯ/ (Northern)

/ɨ/ (Southern — slightly more central)

This sound does not exist in English, but English speakers can approximate it.

How to pronounce “ư” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

Step-by-step:

1. Lips

Completely unrounded

Not protruded

Corners of the mouth relaxed

Lips should look almost flat, not like English “oo”.

2. Tongue

High position

Back of the tongue raised toward the soft palate

Very similar to the tongue position for English “oo” (food), but with flat lips.

3. Mouth Opening

Small opening

Less open than “a”, more closed than “i”.

4. Sound Quality

Tight, high, central–back vowel

Short and steady (not diphthong)

Pronunciation

Vietnamese “ơ” is pronounced:

/ɤ/ (Northern)

/ɜ/ (Southern — more open and central)

This vowel does not exist in English, but it is similar to:

English “uh” in “bird”, “word”, “girl”, “her” (British/RP)

BUT without the /r/

And with more lip relaxation

How to pronounce “ơ” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Lips

Completely unrounded

Relaxed

Slight opening

Not spread wide like “e”, not rounded like “o”

2. Tongue

Mid height

Slightly back (Northern)

More central (Southern)

Imagine the tongue position halfway between:

English “uh”

3. Mouth Opening

Medium opening

Not as wide as “a”

Not as closed as “ư”

4. Sound Quality

A smooth, steady, mid vowel

No movement → monophthong

Closer English Comparisons

Although not perfect:

British English “sir”, “bird”, “girl” (but without /r/)

English “uh” but more back and tense

Pronunciation

Vietnamese “â” is pronounced:

/ɐ/ or /ə/ (mid–central vowel)

This sound is similar to:

English “uh” in “cup”, “sun”, “but” (American English)

BUT shorter

And more central

And without schwa reduction (clearer than English)

It is different from Vietnamese “ă” and “a”.

How to pronounce “â” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Lips

Unrounded

Relaxed

Neutral position (not smiling, not rounded)

2. Tongue

Mid height → between “a” (low) and “ơ” (mid)

Fairly central

Slightly front of center (Northern)

More central or slightly back (Southern)

3. Mouth Opening

Medium size

Less open than “a”

More open than “ơ”

4. Sound Quality

Short, stable mid-central vowel

No movement → monophthong

Clearer and more distinct than English schwa

The “â” sound appears very often before n, t, m.

Pronunciation

Vietnamese “a” is pronounced:

/a/ (low, open front vowel)

It is similar to:

Spanish “a” in “casa”

English “a” in “father”, but fronted (not as back as English)

This vowel is pure, open, and stable.

How to pronounce “a” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Mouth Opening

Very wide open

Jaw lowers significantly

2. Tongue Position

Low position (tongue almost flat)

Front of the tongue raised slightly—not as far back as English “father”

Tongue relaxed

3. Lips

Completely unrounded

Neutral, relaxed

Do NOT smile or spread lips

4. Sound Quality

Open, bright, front vowel

Stable (no movement → monophthong)

Pronunciation

Vietnamese “ă” is pronounced:

/ă/ → a short, open front vowel

It is basically a short version of “a”.

Closest English similarities:

The “u” in “cup” but more open

The “a” in “cat” (American /æ/) but less front

A very short “ah” sound

But Vietnamese “ă” is NOT exactly like English vowels.

The key feature is short duration.

How to pronounce “ă” (Mouth & Tongue Details)

1. Mouth Opening

Fairly open, but not as wide as “a”

Mouth opens quickly and closes quickly

Very short and fast

2. Tongue Position

Low → same region as “a”

Slightly more relaxed

Slightly less front than “a”

3. Lips

Unrounded

Natural and relaxed

Not spread, not rounded

4. Duration

Extremely short

The shortest Vietnamese vowel

No diphthong movement; pure vowel