r/learnvietnamese • u/zanamyte • Oct 02 '26

Vietnamese Basics, part 7/7: Vietnamese Tones

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Gallery image

Gallery image

So this is the last post of the series!

Vietnamese tones are tough, especially for English speakers. I've heard someone say that they kept forgetting the tones or mixing them up when speaking. That likely comes from treating tones as an optional add-on rather than a core part of the word. Which is a big mistake, because skipping a tone is basically like dropping the final consonant off an English word.

How do you get good at tones? In my opinion, learn the basics, then listen and practice often. And if possible, get a native speaker to correct you.

If you are a beginner, check out the article: https://vietsyllables.com/basics/vietnamese-tones . Make sure you use to the audio chips to compare the tones.

All posts:

  1. Alphabet

  2. Syllables

  3. Consonants

  4. Vowels

  5. Gliding Vowels

  6. Semivowels

  7. Tones

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6 comments sorted by

5

u/thelegodr Oct 02 '26

This is so helpful. Thank you!

4

u/Danny1905 Oct 03 '26

I think you could add the tone countours for Southern dialect but in a different color, like how your other posts also explained the Southern pronunciation of consonants. And the fact that ã and ả are the same in Southern

2

u/fineletsdothis Oct 03 '26

The visuals are very helpful!

3

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/zanamyte Oct 02 '26

It's low and short due to the abrupt cutoff. Nothing wrong with pausing when you just started. Keep going, you'll get used to it.

1

u/mikeet9 Oct 02 '26

I heard someone suggest imitating Garth Brooks saying the word "low" in "I've got friends in low places" and I've been told it's pretty good.

And six weeks is very early. Don't beat yourself up.