The Vietnamese Alphabet: An Overview for Beginners

Understanding the Vietnamese alphabet is a crucial first step for anyone embarking on the journey of learning the Vietnamese language. This alphabet forms the foundation of Vietnamese pronunciation, reading, and writing, enabling learners to grasp the language effectively.

In this blog, we will explore the Vietnamese alphabet in detail, beginning with its historical development and followed by a comprehensive breakdown of its letters, pronunciation, and usage.

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A Brief History of the Vietnamese Alphabet

The evolution of the Vietnamese writing system is a testament to the country’s rich cultural and historical tapestry. Initially, during the period of Chinese rule from 111 BC to 939 AD, Vietnamese scholars adopted chữ Hán, the classical Chinese script, for official and literary purposes. This script remained dominant in administrative contexts for centuries, even after Vietnam regained its independence.

In an effort to represent the Vietnamese spoken language more accurately, local scholars developed chữ Nôm around the 13th century. This script utilised modified and combined Chinese characters to transcribe native Vietnamese words and sounds. While chữ Nôm allowed for the expression of Vietnamese vernacular literature and was used in various literary works, it was complex and required a deep understanding of Chinese characters, limiting its accessibility to the broader population.

The significant shift towards the modern Vietnamese alphabet, known as chữ Quốc ngữ, began in the 17th century. Portuguese missionaries, notably Francisco de Pina, initiated the transcription of Vietnamese sounds using the Latin alphabet. This effort was further refined by French Jesuit missionary Alexandre de Rhodes, who, in 1651, published a Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin dictionary. His work standardised the use of the Latin script to represent Vietnamese phonetics. Despite its initial use primarily within Christian communities, chữ Quốc ngữ gained prominence over time, especially during the French colonial period in the early 20th century, when it was promoted as the official writing system. Its simplicity and efficiency facilitated widespread literacy, eventually leading to its adoption as the national script of Vietnam.

The Complete Vietnamese Alphabet

The Vietnamese alphabet consists of 29 letters derived from the Latin script, augmented with additional diacritics to capture the unique sounds of the Vietnamese language. These letters are categorised into 12 vowels and 17 consonants.

Vietnamese Vowels

Vietnamese vowels are distinctive and can include various diacritical marks that alter their pronunciation. Below is a comprehensive chart detailing each vowel, its approximate pronunciation, and sample words:

Letter	Approximate   Pronunciation	Sample   Word	Meaning
a	/a/ as in   “father”	má	mother
ă	/ă/ as in   “cat”	ăn	eat
â	/ə/ as in   “but”	mận	plum
e	/ɛ/ as in   “bed”	mẹ	mother
ê	/e/ as in   “say”	bê	calf
i	/i/ as in   “see”	đi	go
o	/ɔ/ as in   “saw”	con	child
ô	/o/ as in   “go”	cô	aunt
ơ	/ɤ/ (no English   equivalent)	mơ	dream
u	/u/ as in   “food”	thu	autumn
ư	/ɯ/ (no English   equivalent)	tư	fourth
y	/i/ as in   “machine”	lý	reason

Vietnamese Consonants

The consonant system in Vietnamese includes single letters and combinations that produce specific sounds. Here is a chart outlining each consonant, its approximate pronunciation, and sample words:

Letter	Approximate Pronunciation	Sample Word	Meaning
a	/a/ as in “father”	má	mother
ă	/ă/ as in “cat”	ăn	eat
â	/ə/ as in “but”	mận	plum
e	/ɛ/ as in “bed”	mẹ	mother
ê	/e/ as in “say”	bê	calf
i	/i/ as in “see”	đi	go
o	/ɔ/ as in “saw”	con	child
ô	/o/ as in “go”	cô	aunt
ơ	/ɤ/ (no English equivalent)	mơ	dream
u	/u/ as in “food”	thu	autumn
ư	/ɯ/ (no English equivalent)	tư	fourth
y	/i/ as in “machine”	lý	reason

Structure of the Vietnamese Alphabet

The Vietnamese language utilises a Latin-based alphabet comprising 29 letters, including 12 vowels and 17 consonants. These letters combine systematically to form syllables, which are the foundational units of Vietnamese words.

Syllable Formation

A typical Vietnamese syllable structure can be represented as:

(Initial Consonant) + Vowel (Nucleus) + (Final Consonant) + Tone

• Initial Consonant (Optional): Any of the 17 consonants can serve as the initial sound.
  • Examples: “b”, “c”, “d”
• Vowel Nucleus (Mandatory): This core component can be a single vowel or a combination forming diphthongs or triphthongs.
  • Single vowels: “a”, “ê”, “i”
  • Diphthongs: “ai”, “oi”
  • Triphthongs: “oai”, “uyê”
• Final Consonant (Optional): Certain consonants can appear at the end of a syllable, including: “c”, “m”, “n”, “p”, “t”, “ng”.
• Tone (Mandatory): Each syllable carries one of the six tones, indicated by specific diacritic marks on the vowel.

Mastering Vietnamese Tones

Vietnamese is a tonal language, meaning that the pitch or intonation used when pronouncing a word can change its meaning entirely. There are six distinct tones in Vietnamese, each associated with a specific diacritic mark (or lack thereof) and a unique pitch contour. Mastering these tones is essential for clear and accurate communication.

The Six Vietnamese Tones

1. Mid-Level Tone (Thanh Ngang): This tone is pronounced with a steady, level pitch, similar to a monotone. It is unmarked in writing.

Example: “ma” (ghost)

2. Low Falling Tone (Thanh Huyền): Pronounced with a low, falling pitch, this tone is indicated by a grave accent (“`) over the vowel.

Example: “mà” (but)

3. High Rising Tone (Thanh Sắc): This tone starts at a mid-level pitch and rises sharply. It is denoted by an acute accent (´) over the vowel.

Example: “má” (mother)

4. Low Rising Tone (Thanh Hỏi): Characterised by a dip followed by a rise, similar to a questioning intonation in English. It is marked by a hook above the vowel (̉).

Example: “mả” (grave)

5. High Broken Tone (Thanh Ngã): This tone involves a glottal stop with a rising pitch and is indicated by a tilde (~) over the vowel.

Example: “mã” (horse)

6. Heavy Tone (Thanh Nặng): Pronounced with a short, sharp, and heavy falling pitch, this tone is marked by a dot below the vowel (̣).

Example: “mạ” (young rice plant)

As you can see, each tone alters the meaning of a word significantly:

• ma: ghost
• mà: but
• má: mother
• mả: grave
• mã: horse
• mạ: young rice plant

As demonstrated, the same base letters “ma” can convey different meanings depending on the tone used.

Key Takaways About the Vietnamese Alphabet

1.   What alphabet does the Vietnamese language use?

Vietnamese uses the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet, known as chữ Quốc ngữ. This script was developed in the 17th century by Jesuit missionaries, notably Alexandre de Rhodes, and officially adopted in the early 20th century. It comprises 29 letters, including 17 consonants and 12 vowels, with additional diacritics to denote tones and specific vowel sounds.

2.   How many letters are there in the Vietnamese alphabet?

The Vietnamese alphabet consists of 29 letters: 17 consonants and 12 vowels. It excludes the letters F, J, W, and Z, which are not present in native Vietnamese words but may appear in loanwords or names.

3.   How many tones does the Vietnamese language have?

Vietnamese is a tonal language with six distinct tones. Each tone alters the meaning of a word and is indicated by specific diacritic marks in writing. The tones are:

• Mid-Level Tone (Thanh Ngang): No diacritic, pronounced with a steady, level pitch.
• Low Falling Tone (Thanh Huyền): Grave accent (“`), pronounced with a low, falling pitch.
• High Rising Tone (Thanh Sắc): Acute accent (´), starts at a mid-level pitch and rises sharply.
• Low Rising Tone (Thanh Hỏi): Hook above (̉), characterised by a dip followed by a rise.
• High Broken Tone (Thanh Ngã): Tilde (~), involves a glottal stop with a rising pitch.
• Heavy Tone (Thanh Nặng): Dot below (̣), pronounced with a short, sharp, and heavy falling pitch.

Mastery of these tones is essential for accurate pronunciation and communication in Vietnamese.

4.   Does the Vietnamese alphabet have characters like those found in Chinese or Japanese?

No, Vietnamese does not use characters like Chinese or Japanese. While it historically utilised chữ Hán (classical Chinese characters) and chữ Nôm (a script based on modified Chinese characters) for writing, the modern Vietnamese language employs the Latin-based alphabet chữ Quốc ngữ. This transition to the Latin script was completed in the early 20th century, making Vietnamese distinct from the character-based writing systems of Chinese and Japanese.

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By understanding the Vietnamese alphabet, its structure, and the importance of tones, you are now one step closer to mastering the language. Building a strong foundation in pronunciation and writing will make learning Vietnamese smoother and more effective.

If you’re ready to take your skills further, Language Trainers offers one-to-one in-person Vietnamese lessons in Melbourne and other cities, tailored to your goals and learning style. We also provide online Vietnamese courses, connecting you with experienced native-speaking tutors from anywhere in the world. Contact Language Trainers today to start your Vietnamese learning journey with expert guidance!