The six Vietnamese tones: a beginner's guide with examples

The six Vietnamese tones are ngang (level), huyền (falling), sắc (rising), hỏi (dipping), ngã (broken rising) and nặng (heavy, low). Five of them have a mark written on or under the main vowel; the level tone has no mark at all.

This guide gives each tone's name, mark, sound and a set of everyday words, so you can start hearing them in real Vietnamese.

Tone names are their own examples

A handy trick: each tone's Vietnamese name is pronounced with that tone. Huyền has the falling tone, sắc has the rising tone, and so on. If you can say the six names correctly, you've practised all six tones.

1. Ngang: the level tone

• Mark: none (a, o, e)
• Sound: steady, in the middle of your normal speaking range.
• Examples: ba (three, or dad), cô (aunt, teacher), ăn (to eat), đi (to go), mua (to buy)

It's the "default" tone. Beginners sometimes push it up or down; keep it flat and relaxed.

2. Huyền: the falling tone

• Mark: grave accent (à)
• Sound: starts lower than ngang and falls gently, breathy and relaxed.
• Examples: bà (grandmother), nhà (house), mèo (cat), làm (to do, make), người (person)

3. Sắc: the rising tone

• Mark: acute accent (á)
• Sound: starts mid-high and rises sharply, like a surprised question.
• Examples: cá (fish), bánh (cake, bread), có (to have, yes), đói (hungry), chó (dog)

4. Hỏi: the dipping tone

• Mark: a small hook above the vowel (ả), like a question mark without its dot
• Sound: in the North, dips down then rises back up. In the South, it dips and rises in a way that sounds the same as ngã.
• Examples: hỏi (to ask), phở (pho), bảy (seven), nhỏ (small), cửa (door)

5. Ngã: the broken rising tone

• Mark: tilde (ã)
• Sound: in the North, rises with a catch or break in the middle, a little like a hiccup in the voice. In the South, merged with hỏi.
• Examples: ngã (to fall over), sữa (milk), mũ (hat), đã (already), nghĩ (to think)

6. Nặng: the heavy tone

• Mark: a dot under the vowel (ạ)
• Sound: drops low and stops short, often with a tight throat.
• Examples: mẹ (mom), chợ (market), đẹp (beautiful), gạo (uncooked rice), ạ (the polite particle)

How do regional accents change the tones?

• Northern (Hà Nội): six distinct tones; the version taught in many textbooks.
• Southern (Sài Gòn): hỏi and ngã sound alike, so effectively five tones. Southern nặng is also often lower and less clipped.
• Central (Huế and around): tones can sound quite different again, and outsiders often find Central accents hardest.

All regions write the same six marks. Read Northern vs Southern Vietnamese for vowel and consonant differences too.

How do you type the tones?

Most Vietnamese speakers type with the Telex system, built into phones and computers. You type the base letter, then a key for the tone:

• s = sắc (as → á)
• f = huyền (af → à)
• r = hỏi (ar → ả)
• x = ngã (ax → ã)
• j = nặng (aj → ạ)

Telex also handles special letters: aa gives â, aw gives ă, dd gives đ. Turning on a Vietnamese keyboard and typing a few words each day reinforces which tone each word carries. For the letters themselves, see how to read ă, â, ê, ô, ơ, ư and đ.

Where does the mark go?

The tone mark sits on the main vowel of the syllable. In words with two or three vowels, like người or cửa, there are rules for which vowel gets it, and spelling conventions vary slightly (for example, hoà vs hòa). As a beginner, just copy the spelling you see in a trusted dictionary.

A practice plan for the six tones

• Day 1 to 3: say the six tone names and the examples above out loud, with a recording to copy.
• Day 4 to 7: pick two tones that confuse you, often huyền vs nặng or hỏi vs ngã, and drill pairs.
• Week 2: listen to short clips and write down the tone of single words you catch, like Ủa? (hỏi) or Haizz (ngang, no mark).

If you want the concept first, read how Vietnamese tones work, explained with one word. Then come back here and keep this list nearby as your reference.