a
Ngang — Flat Tone
No mark · Level
In David's wordsFlat tone sounds monotonous.
The technical version: Pitch stays right in the middle of your voice range and never moves — no rise, no fall. Just hold it steady, like a flat hum.
maghost
Practice sentence — every word is ngang
Anh đi ăn cơm.
I'm going to eat.
á
Sắc — Rising Tone
Acute mark · Sharp rise
In David's wordsThe rising tone is like if you were asking a question, raising your eyebrows, like “huh?”
The technical version: Pitch starts around the middle and rises sharply to the top of your range — short and sudden, exactly like the surprised “huh?” your eyebrows make when they shoot up.
mámother / cheek
Practice sentence — every word is sắc
Bé đá bóng.
The kid kicks the ball.
à
Huyền — Falling Tone
Grave mark · Low and heavy
In David's wordsThe falling tone is like Batman, where you have high testosterone and you go as low as you can.
The technical version: Pitch starts around the middle and falls smoothly, settling low and staying there — soft, heavy, a little breathy. Once you're down, resist the urge to climb back up.
màbut
Practice sentence — every word is huyền
Mùa hè, bà về.
In summer, grandma comes home.
ã
Ngã — Broken Tone
Tilde mark · Dip, catch, rise
In David's wordsThe broken tone is like a sheep that is about to die. Someone is torturing the sheep. That's the sound you're making with a broken tone.
The technical version: The pitch dips, catches on a brief glottal break — your throat literally stops and restarts for a split second — then rises sharply. That catch in the middle is exactly what the tone is named for.
mãhorse
Practice sentence — every word is ngã
Cũng vẫn nghĩ mãi.
Still thinking about it, endlessly.
ả
Hỏi — Question Tone
Hook mark · Smooth dip, then rise
In David's wordsQuestion tone: as you go down once a bit and then upwards again immediately.
The technical version: Pitch dips down and curves back up in one smooth motion — no break, no catch, just a gentle valley. It's called the “question” tone because that dip-and-rise sounds just like a skeptical “...really?”
mảgrave / tomb
Practice sentence — every word is hỏi
Chỉ nghỉ, khỏe hẳn.
Just rest — you'll definitely feel better.
ạ
Nặng — Heavy Tone
Dot below · Low and short
In David's wordsThe heavy tone is like someone would say, “punch your stomach.” It's low and short.
The technical version: Pitch drops low and cuts off abruptly with a glottal stop — short, tight, over almost as soon as it starts. All the air gets knocked out of it, like a gut-punch.
mạrice seedling
Practice sentence — every word is nặng
Việc học nặng nhọc.
Schoolwork is exhausting.
Want feedback on your own pronunciation?
Listening is step one. The fastest way to actually fix your tones is to say them out loud and get corrected in real time.
Two ways to start today
Option 1
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Send it and I'll personally reply with the next step.
Option 2
Watch the video
youtu.be/eWuZFCeghlc