How to Pronounce Phở (Not “Foe”): Hear It Step by Step
Phở is not “foe”. Hear it in a Southern and a Northern voice, see how ph, ơ and the hỏi tone build it, and what “pho” means without its marks.
The soup everyone orders, and the word almost nobody says right. Listen first, then see what's written.
Listen first
- phởpho (noodle soup)hỏi = ngã
Switch the accent: the labels show what your accent changes.
Built the way you say it
Read each block aloud, then press ▶ to compare. That's how the word is made:
Each line adds one piece. Read it aloud, then tap a card to compare: a consonant plays the way it is spelled at school (ph = “phờ”).
Spelled the Vietnamese school wayphờ ơ phơ hỏi phở
phởpho (noodle soup)
Every tone
The same letters without a tone (the root), then with each tone the spelling allows: some are words, some only possible syllables.
- ph = f. Always. Vietnamese has no letter f.
- ơ: an o with a horn. Not “oh”: close to the “u” of “fun”, held a bit longer.
- the mark on top (the “hook above”): the hỏi tone, the voice dips, then rises.
One sound, six words
Same letters, other tones: here's what you'd say instead.
phơbare syllable
- ngangphơcompletely, entirely (intensifier)
- huyềnphờexhausted, worn out
- sắcphớnot a word
- hỏiphởpho (noodle soup)
- ngãphỡnot a word
- nặngphợnot a word
“Pho” without its marks
On menus, phở often loses its marks. Here's every real word those letters can stand for:
- phởpho (noodle soup)
- phốstreet
- pho(classifier for statues, books)
- phòto assist, escort
- phổto compose (music)
- phódeputy, vice-
- phơcompletely, entirely (intensifier)
- phờexhausted, worn out
- phôto display, to show off, to flaunt
The hỏi mark and the horn are what turn it into the soup.
Order it
Cho tôi một tô phở.“A bowl of phở, please.”
Hear the other dishes in how to pronounce Vietnamese food, and every tone mark in Vietnamese accent marks explained.
Hear more names, dishes and everyday words built step by step: Vietnamese pronunciation tool.
Quick answers
Is it “foe” or “fuh”?
Closer to “fuh”. The vowel is ơ, an o with a horn: it sounds like the “u” of “fun” held a little longer, not like “oh”. Then the voice dips and comes back up: that is the hỏi tone.
Why is it spelled with ph?
In Vietnamese, ph is always the f sound, like in “photo”. There is no letter f in the Vietnamese alphabet.
Do the North and the South say phở the same way?
The letters sound the same; the tone differs a little. Switch the accent on this page and listen to both voices.
What does “pho” mean without the marks?
Several different words: phố is “street”, phổ is “to set to music”, pho is a classifier. The marks are what make it the soup.
Start reading today
Free to start. Create your account to keep your progress.
Create my free account