Unlike English, Japanese or Korean, Vietnamese has a characteristic called tones that many people find difficult to learn. Especially for foreigners who come to live in Vietnam, they need to learn Vietnamese to be able to communicate with many people around in daily life.
Therefore, this article will give you the most useful tips to master Vietnamese tones effectively.
Most-useful Tips to Master Vietnamese Tones Quickly in 2024
Most-useful Tips to Master Vietnamese Tones quickly
Tones in Vietnamese
There are 6 tones in Vietnamese you need to learn:
1. Ngang (Mid-level tone): All words with mid-level tone have a flat tone.
For example: Ba (Father), Ma (Ghost)
2.(`)Huyền : slightly lowered tone and one level lower than Mid-level tone
For example: gà (chicken); mèo (cat); nhà (house)
3.(~) Ngã: It has a slightly higher starting point, also upward, but is interrupted midway by the action of the glottal stop.
For example: ngã (fall); ngỗng (goose); gỗ (wood)
4. (?) Hỏi : When pronouncing, the beginning and the end of the tone are both in the low range.
For example: hỏi (ask); mở (open);
5. ( ′) Sắc : has a low starting point and continuously goes up
For example: Má (Mother), lá (leaf), chó (dog)
6. (.) Nặng : is a low-pitched tone. When pronouncing, the starting point is close to the starting height of the hypotenuse but ending abruptly at a lower height.
For example: Lạ (strange); nhẹ (light; mild); nặng (heavy)
Useful Tips to Master Vietnamese Tones effectively
After understanding 6 tones in Vietnam, you will go to the next step, which is practice and useful tips to do it well. Below is some suggestions for you to master Vietnamese tones effectively:
1. Practice much
There is always a slogan: “Practice makes perfect!”, so no matter what language you are learning, you also need to spend a lot of time on practicing to nail it successfully, especially Vietnamese. A small suggestion is that you can use voice recording to recognize your mistakes, then perfect your pronunciation even more!
2. Make friends with native Vietnamese speakers
You are living in Vietnam, so don’t be shy to make friends with anyone because people are always ready to help you practice Vietnamese.
You can find Vietnamese friends through some groups such as Learn Vietnamese free, language exchange,.. and so on.
Ask them to correct your pronunciation of intones, vowels,.. This will considerably help you make progress in learning the language and to master Vietnamese tones effectively.
3. Practice in front of the mirror
Standing in front of the mirror and trying to pronounce these tones is the best way to know if your mouth moves correctly when pronouncing. You can also try to imitate the speaker’s mouth in lots of videos on Youtube.
4. Listen to Vietnamese frequently
Make an effort to listen to Vietnamese news or videos to train your ear to this language and at the same time try picking up the accent. Good luck with your journey of learning to master the Vietnamese tones!