LinguaThree o letters
Where most languages have one o, Vietnamese has three: o, ô and ơ. The plain one is open, like the vowel of con. The one with the roof is round and closed, like cô. The one with the horn is neither – the lips are relaxed and pulled back, as in mơ. Three letters, three sounds, three different words.
The same circle three times: bare, with a roof, and with a horn on its right shoulder.
Count the legs, as in every Latin alphabet: the first stands on three, the second on two.
Two letters that hang below the line. In Vietnamese p almost never starts a word on its own, and q is always followed by u.
| Letter | Lips | A word with it |
|---|---|---|
| o | open | con |
| ô | rounded | cô |
| ơ | relaxed and pulled back | mơ |
| m | closed together | mẹ |
| n | open, tongue up | nhà |
| u | rounded and pushed forward | quê |
mẹ và conmother and child
cái nhà nhỏthe small house
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mẹ | mother | Mẹ tôi nấu ăn. My mother cooks. |
| nhà | house | Nhà tôi ở đây. My house is here. |
| con | child | Con của tôi. My child. |
| cô | miss | Cô giáo của tôi. My teacher. |
| mơ | to dream | Tôi mơ mỗi đêm. I dream every night. |
| quê | home village | Quê tôi rất đẹp. My home village is very beautiful. |
Exercises
This lesson has 8 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- trace the letter: 2
- fill the gap: 1
- match the pairs: 1
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
How many o letters does Vietnamese have?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.