Pronunciation

Vietnamese nh = the palatal nasal /ɲ/.

It is similar to:

Spanish ñ (as in niño)

French gn (as in chagnon)

Italian gn (as in Bologna)

1. IPA

Vietnamese nh = /ɲ/ (palatal nasal)

2. How to pronounce it (step-by-step)

Tongue position

Lift the middle/front part of your tongue (not the tip) toward the hard palate (roof of your mouth).

Tongue tip stays low behind lower teeth.

The tongue body, not the tip, makes the contact.

Contact point

The front one-third of the tongue touches the hard palate.

This blocks the oral airflow completely.

Airflow

Air goes through the nose, because the velum is lowered (nasal consonant).

Voicing

Your vocal cords vibrate the entire time (this is a voiced sound).

Sound impression

Very similar to:

Spanish ñ in niño

Smooth, soft nasal sound.

Pronunciation

Vietnamese ch has two main pronunciations depending on the region, but the mouth position is similar.

Northern Vietnamese (Hanoi): /c/ or /t͡ɕ/ (a strong palatal stop or palatal affricate)

Southern Vietnamese (Saigon): /t͡ʃ/ (like English “ch”)

Both are voiceless and made with the tongue near the hard palate.

1. IPA

Northern: /c/ (a voiceless palatal stop) or /t͡ɕ/

Southern: /t͡ʃ/ (like English ch in “check”)

2. How to Pronounce “ch” — Step by Step

Tongue Position

Tongue front/middle part is raised toward the hard palate.

Tongue tip lightly touches or is close to the lower front teeth.

The tongue blade (not the tip) does the work.

Contact

The front–middle tongue touches the hard palate, blocking airflow.

Airflow

Build up pressure behind the tongue.

Release it quickly, which creates a burst or friction.

Voice

Voiceless: the vocal cords do not vibrate.

Northern vs Southern difference

Northern “ch”

Short, sharp, clean stop-like sound.

Southern “ch”

Very similar to English ch:

church, check, chop