In this lesson, we will learn about the composition and pronunciation of Vietnamese words.
Composition of Words
Vietnamese words are basically one syllable each. A syllable is a unit of sound pronounced as a cohesive whole, and it has the structure illustrated in the diagram below.
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④Optional tone |
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①Optional initial consonant |
②Compulsory vowel |
③Optional ending consonant |
(Above diagram) Structure of a Syllable
Note: When writing Vietnamese, tones are generally marked above the vowels, so make an effort to remember the diagram above!
The simplest word contains only one vowel, but there are other patterns as follows:
ô 【Vowel only】 (Meaning: umbrella)
ốm 【Vowel + Ending Consonant + Tone】 (Meaning: to catch a cold)
bố 【Initial Consonant + Vowel + Tone】 (Meaning: father (Northern))
trồng 【Initial Consonant + Vowel + Ending Consonant + Tone】 (Meaning: to plant)
Furthermore, above is just a simple example, but actually, as shown in the table below, there are more combinations involving vowels with other vowels, and vowels + ending consonants.
How should it be pronounced?
As mentioned before, since Vietnamese words are pronounced as a single cohesive sound, you can correctly pronounce any word by pronouncing each part in the following order:
【① Initial Consonant + ② Vowel or ② Vowel + ③ Ending Consonant】+ ④ Tone
For example: ① bà: b + a + tone (huyền) → bà (meaning: grandma)
② buồn: b + uôn + tone (huyền) → buồn (meaning: sad)
③ lương: l + ương → lương (meaning: salary)
Conclusion
Some might find Vietnamese word structure complex, but in comparison to other languages, Vietnamese words are actually very short and easy to remember. And, With the combination of 12 vowels, 17 consonants, and 6 tones, you can write any Vietnamese word without needing to fully understand its meaning.