By Lymi

Read Vietnamese Tones and Letters

Read Vietnamese letter by letter, from the six tone marks to đ, nh and ngh, then put it all together in short words. Sounds follow the Hanoi standard, with southern differences in the notes.

Vietnamese61 cards

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  • Six tones

    ma

    ma, level tone (ngang)

  • Six tones

    ma, low falling tone (huyền)

    mà

  • Vowels

    ư

    unrounded u (vowel)

  • Consonants

    t with a puff of air (letter pair)

    th

  • First words to read

    nước

    water

What’s inside

See all 61 cards

You start with Six tones, and the next section opens as you learn the one before it.

  1. Section 1: Six tones

    Start here6 cards

  2. Section 2: Vowels

    12 cards

  3. Section 3: Consonants

    17 cards

  4. Section 4: First words to read

    26 cards
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All 61 cards

In the order you learn them, one section at a time.

1Six tones6 cards

ma
ma, level tone (ngang)
mà
ma, low falling tone (huyền)
má
ma, high rising tone (sắc)
mả
ma, dipping tone (hỏi)
mã
ma, broken rising tone (ngã)
mạ
ma, heavy tone (nặng)

2Vowels12 cards

a
a (vowel)
ă
short a (vowel)
â
short ơ (vowel)
e
open e (vowel)
ê
closed e (vowel)
i
i (vowel)
y
y, said like i (vowel)
o
open o (vowel)
ô
closed o (vowel)
ơ
uh (vowel)
u
u (vowel)
ư
unrounded u (vowel)

3Consonants17 cards

đ
d (consonant)
d
z in the north, y in the south (consonant)
gi
z in the north, y in the south (letter pair)
r
z in the north, r in the south (consonant)
v
v in the north, y in the south (consonant)
s
s, or sh in the south (consonant)
x
s (consonant)
ch
ch (letter pair)
tr
ch, or tr in the south (letter pair)
nh
ny, as in canyon (letter pair)
ng
ng, as in singer (letter pair)
ngh
ng before e, ê, i (letter group)
gh
g before e, ê, i (letter pair)
kh
kh, as in Scottish loch (letter pair)
ph
f (letter pair)
th
t with a puff of air (letter pair)
qu
kw (letter pair)

4First words to read26 cards

Việt Nam
Vietnam
tiếng Việt
the Vietnamese language
xin chào
hello
cảm ơn
thank you
không
no / not / zero
có
to have / yes (there is)
phở
pho (noodle soup)
bánh mì
Vietnamese baguette sandwich
cà phê
coffee
nước
water
trà
tea
đường
street / road; sugar
Hà Nội
Hanoi
Sài Gòn
Saigon
người
person
một
one
hai
two
ba
three
gì
what
nhà
house / home
ăn
to eat
ngon
tasty / delicious
rẻ
cheap
đẹp
beautiful
sữa
milk
chợ
market

How it works

  1. Add the deck

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  2. Recall, then turn it over

    Try to remember the answer before you look. Try it on the cards here: they’re from all over the deck.

  3. Review a few minutes a day

    Choose how many cards a day. Lymi brings each one back right before you’d forget it.

First words to read

ngon

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Published September 28, 2026