Lessons › Lesson 1

Lesson 1 · The Vietnamese alphabet

Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet — 29 letters, no f, j, w, or z. Tap any tile to hear the letter’s name; switch the voice to hear it in a Northern or Southern accent. Each tile’s example word links to its full entry.

Accent:

✍️ The little marks (diacritics)

Three little marks turn one vowel into another — and a different mark means a completely different word. Tap any word to hear it.

a → ă

breve · dấu trăng

makes the vowel shorter

â ê ô

circumflex · dấu mũ

changes the vowel’s quality

ơ ư

horn · dấu móc

creates sounds unique to Vietnamese

same letters, different marks

the breve changes the vowel

🎵 The six tones (Northern standard)

Every syllable carries a tone — its own little melody. The same “ma” means six different things depending on the tune. Tap each card to hear it.

👂 Test your ear

Hear the lesson’s example words and type them back — right letters, right marks.

Next up: Lesson 2.