Help:IPA/Vietnamese
{{IPA key|H:IPA-VI}}
The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Vietnamese language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA and {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation#Entering IPA characters}}.
There are two major standards: one of Hanoi and one of Ho Chi Minh City. Each makes distinctions that the other does not; neither standard is preferred over the other at Wikipedia. The central dialects, which make the distinctions of both, are generally represented in articles here, except if a local pronunciation is clearly more relevant.
See Vietnamese phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Vietnamese.
| style="background:none"
| style="vertical-align:top;" | {| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em; text-align: center;" | ||||
| colspan="5" | Initial consonants | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | C | S | Examples | English approximation |
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|ʔ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | anh [ʔɐjn] (unwritten, occurs before initial vowels) | style="text-align:left;" | uh-oh; informal British button | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|ɓ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ba | style="text-align:left;" | bee with a gulp | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|ɗ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | đi | style="text-align:left;" | day with a gulp | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|f}}
| style="text-align:left;" | phở | style="text-align:left;" | fight, photo | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|ɣ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ga; ghế | style="text-align:left;" | {{langx|es|amigo}} | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|h}}
| style="text-align:left;" | hàng | style="text-align:left;" | high | ||||
| colspan=3|{{IPAlink|k}}
| style="text-align:left;" | cô, kem{{IPAblink|k}} as "qu" appears only in northern and central dialects. | style="text-align:left;" | scan, kid | ||||
| colspan="1" |{{IPAlink|kʷ}}
| colspan="2"|{{IPAlink|w}} | style="text-align:left;" | quanh | style="text-align:left;" | quick (Northern dialect) | ||||
| colspan="1" |{{IPAlink|x}}
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|kʰ}} | style="text-align:left;" | khô | style="text-align:left;" | loch (Northern dialect) | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|l}}
| style="text-align:left;" | là | style="text-align:left;" | low | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|m}}
| style="text-align:left;" | mai | style="text-align:left;" | my | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|n}}
| style="text-align:left;" | nam | style="text-align:left;" |no | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|ɲ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | nhà | style="text-align:left;" | canyon {{langx|es|señorita}}, {{langx|fr|oignon}} | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|ŋ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ngâm; nghe | style="text-align:left;" | singer | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|p}}
| style="text-align:left;" |pin{{IPAblink|p}} appears only in loanwords, and is often replaced by {{IPAblink|ɓ}}. | style="text-align:left;" | sport | ||||
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|s}}
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|s}} | style="text-align:left;" | xa | style="text-align:left;" |so | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ʂ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | sáu | style="text-align:left;" |show, but with tongue curled | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}
| style="text-align:left;" | tây | style="text-align:left;" | stop | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|tʰ}}
| style="text-align:left;" |thầy | style="text-align:left;" | top, get him | ||||
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t͡ɕ}} ~ c
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t͡ɕ}} ~ c | style="text-align:left;" | chè | style="text-align:left;" |change | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ʈ}} ~ ʈ͡ʂ
| style="text-align:left;" | tra | style="text-align:left;" | trend, but with tongue curled | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|v}}
| rowspan="3" |{{IPAlink|j}} | style="text-align:left;" | về{{IPAblink|v}} may be used as a spelling pronunciation in southern dialects. | style="text-align:left;" | victory | ||||
| rowspan="3" |z/ ʑ/ ʝ
|{{IPAlink|j}} | style="text-align:left;" |già, giết | style="text-align:left;" |yes | ||||
| {{IPAlink|z}}
| style="text-align:left;" |da, danh | style="text-align:left;" |zero | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|r}}
| style="text-align:left;" |ra, rồi | style="text-align:left;" | similar to red; variably pronounced as a fricative, flap or trill | ||||
| colspan="5" | Medial glide | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|ʷ}}
| style="text-align:left;" |oanh; quốc; Nguyễn, tuyRead as [{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}{{IPAlink|ʷ}}{{IPAlink|i}}], not confuse with "tui" that is read as [{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}{{IPAlink|u}}{{IPAlink|j}}] | style="text-align:left;" | quick | ||||
| colspan="5" | Final consonants | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|j}}
| style="text-align:left;" | cái, tay"ai"read as [aːj]; "ay"read as [aj] , tuiRead as [{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}{{IPAlink|u}}{{IPAlink|j}}], not confuse with "tuy" that is read as [{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}{{IPAlink|ʷ}}{{IPAlink|i}}] | style="text-align:left;" | boy | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|m}}
| style="text-align:left;" | thêm | style="text-align:left;" | pom | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|n}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ŋ}} | style="text-align:left;" | ban | style="text-align:left;" | pin | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ŋ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | trứng | style="text-align:left;" | long | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|n}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|n}} | style="text-align:left;" | mìn, bên (after {{IPA|i, ê}}) | style="text-align:left;" | hen | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPA|ŋ̟}}
| style="text-align:left;" | bìnhIn southern dialects, the vowels {{IPA|/i, e, ɛ/}} become {{IPA|[ɨ, ə, a]}} before the alveolar consonants {{IPA|[t, n]}}.In northern dialects, when the velar finals {{IPA|/k, ŋ/}} follow the front vowels {{IPA|/i, e, ɛ/}}, the consonant becomes pre-velar {{IPA|[k̟, ŋ̟]}}, and the vowels {{IPA|/e, ɛ/}} become {{IPA|[əj, aj]}}. | style="text-align:left;" | onion (various pronunciations) | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|n}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ŋm}} | style="text-align:left;" | bốnbốn /oːŋ͡m/ vs. bống /ăwŋ͡m/ in Saigon Vietnamese, bún (after {{IPA|u, ô}}) | style="text-align:left;" | pen | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|ŋm}}
| style="text-align:left;" | chúng (after {{IPA|u, ô, o}})In most dialects, when the velar finals {{IPA|/k, ŋ/}} follow the round vowels {{IPA|/u, o, ɔ/}}, the consonant is strongly labialized {{IPA|[kʷ, ŋʷ]}} or doubly-articulated {{IPA|[k͡p, ŋ͡m]}}, and the vowels {{IPA|/o, ɔ/}} become {{IPA|[əw, aw]}}. | style="text-align:left;" | like long, but with an 'm' after the 'ng' | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|p̚}}
| style="text-align:left;" | tiếp | style="text-align:left;" | clasp, but the p almost-pronounced (lip closed) | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|k}} | style="text-align:left;" | xuất | style="text-align:left;" | pit | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|k}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ác | style="text-align:left;" | pick | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t̪|t}} | style="text-align:left;" | chít (after {{IPA|i, ê}}) | style="text-align:left;" | hit | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPA|k̟}}
| style="text-align:left;" | cách | style="text-align:left;" | technical (various pronunciations) | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|t̪|t}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAlink|kp}} | style="text-align:left;" | một (after {{IPA|u, ô}}) | style="text-align:left;" | cut | ||||
| colspan="2" |{{IPAlink|kp}}
| style="text-align:left;" | học (after {{IPA|u, ô, o}}) | style="text-align:left;" | backpack | ||||
| colspan="3" |{{IPAlink|w}}
| style="text-align:left;" | tao, triệu,đau | style="text-align:left;" | how |
| style="vertical-align:top;" |
| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em; text-align: center;"
! colspan="3" | Monophthongs | |
| IPA
! Examples | English approximation |
|---|---|
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ɐ|a}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ăn, may; cau | style="text-align:left;" | RP cut | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ɐ|aː}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ba, mai, cao | style="text-align:left;" | father (Australian English) | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|e}}
| style="text-align:left;" | về, cây | style="text-align:left;" | day, said (monophthongal) | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ɛ|ɛː}}
| style="text-align:left;" | xe | style="text-align:left;" | fairy | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ə}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ân | style="text-align:left;" | balance | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|əː}}
| style="text-align:left;" | bơ | style="text-align:left;" | RP hurt | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|i}}
| style="text-align:left;" | khi; tuy | style="text-align:left;" | seat | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ɨ}} or {{IPAlink|ɯ}}
| style="text-align:left;" | tư | style="text-align:left;" | similar to glasses; Russian ты | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|o}}
| style="text-align:left;" | cô, sâu | style="text-align:left;" | story | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|ɔː}}
| style="text-align:left;" | có, xoong{{IPAblink|ɔ}} appears only in loanwords, and is often replaced by {{IPAblink|ɔː}}. | style="text-align:left;" | off | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPAlink|u}}
| style="text-align:left;" | ru, tui | style="text-align:left;" | rule | |
| colspan=3 | Diphthongs | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|iə}}
| style="text-align:left;" | viên, bia | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2" | beer | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|ɨə}}
| style="text-align:left;" | xương, chưa | |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|uə}}
| style="text-align:left;" | uống, mua | style="text-align:left;" | influence |
| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em; text-align: center;"
! colspan="8" | Tones |
| IPA
!Vietnamese name !Description !Diacritical mark ! Examples ! Hanoi !Hue ! Saigon |
|---|
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|ā ə̄}}
|thanh ngang |mid level |no mark | style="text-align:left;" | a | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧]}} |[˧˥] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧]}} |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|à ə̀}}
|thanh huyền |low falling (breathy) | style="text-align:left;" | à | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˨˩]}} |[˧] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˨˩]}} |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|ǎ ə̌}}
|thanh sắc |mid rising, tense | style="text-align:left;" | á, ấcBefore a final /p, t, k/, the six tones of Vietnamese are reduced to two. | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧˥]}} |[˩˧̰] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧˥]}} |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|â ə̂}}
|thanh hỏi |mid falling(-rising), emphasis | style="text-align:left;" | ảIn isolation, this can be a dipping tone. The usual IPA diacritic for dipping tone is {{IPA|[a᷉ ə᷉]}}, which differs from the nasalization mark {{IPA|[ ˜ ]}} only in being angular in shape, and is not widely supported by fonts. | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧˩]}} |[˧˩˨] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧˩˧]}} |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|ǎˀ ə̌ˀ}}
|thanh ngã |mid rising, glottalized | style="text-align:left;" | ã | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧ˀ˥]}} |[˧˩˨] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧˩˧]}} |
| style="text-align:center;" |{{IPA|âˀ ə̂ˀ}}
|thanh nặng |mid falling, glottalized, heavy | style="text-align:left;" | ạ, ậc | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˧ˀ˩]}} |[˨̰] | style="text-align:center;" | {{IPA|[˨˧]}} |
|}
Notes
{{reflist}}
See also
- {{clc|Pages with Vietnamese IPA|pages}}
- {{clc|Pages with Central Vietnamese IPA|pages}}
- {{clc|Pages with Northern Vietnamese IPA|pages}}
- {{clc|Pages with Southern Vietnamese IPA|pages}}
{{IPA keys}}