Vietnamese Spelling Rules: c or k, g or gh, ng or ngh
Same sound, two spellings: the few rules that decide c or k, g or gh, ng or ngh, iê or ia. With sound, and what a Southern accent changes.
Vietnamese spelling looks irregular until you see the trick: one sound, two spellings, chosen by the next letter. The rules are few. Here they are, every example with its sound.
c or k?
Same sound. The letter depends on the vowel that follows.
k
only before i, e, ê, y
- kẹocandy
- kêuto call, cry out
- kỳperiod, term
c
everywhere else (never before i, e, ê, y)
- cáfish
- cơmcooked rice, meal
- conchild
And qu is its own consonant: the u belongs to it. quà, quê, quốc. After qu, i is written y: quý, quyết.
g or gh?
gh
only before i, e, ê
- ghếchair
- ghito write down, to note
- gheboat
g
everywhere else (never before e, ê)
- gàchicken
- gỗwood
ng or ngh?
ngh
only before i, e, ê
- ngheto hear, to listen
- nghĩto think
- nghềprofession, occupation
ng
everywhere else (never before i, e, ê)
- ngủto sleep
- ngongood, tasty, delicious
One pattern for all three: the long spelling (k, gh, ngh) only before i, e, ê, plus y for k.
gi
Gi is one consonant: già, giường. Before iê the two i's melt into one: giếng. On its own: gì.
One vowel, two spellings
A final consonant after it, or not: that's all that changes.
| Vowel | With a final | Without |
|---|---|---|
| iê | tiền | mía |
| uô | muốn, uống | mua, chùa |
| ươ | nước, đường | mưa, cửa |
At the start of a word, or after a gliding u, iê becomes yê: yêu, khuyên, and without a final: khuya.
o or u before a vowel?
The little gliding sound is written o before a, ă, e and u before the others.
hoa, hoặc, khoẻ · huế, tuyết
i or y?
After that gliding u, and after qu, write y: tuy, quý.
ai or ay, ao or au?
In ay and au the a is short; in ai and ao it is long. Listen to the length: hai / tay, sao / sau.
Finals nh and ch
The finals nh and ch only come after a, ê and i: anh, bánh, ích, bệnh, sạch. After ê and i it is always nh / ch, never ng / c. After a, both exist and make different words: anh / ang, ách / ác.
p, t, c, ch: two tones only
A word ending in p, t, c or ch only takes sắc or nặng. More in Vietnamese accent marks explained.
Your accent hides some spellings
Same spelling everywhere. But every accent pronounces some spellings the same, so the ear can't always tell you which one to write. The South merges more of them. Switch the accent:
- tràtea=chàto rub
- sinhto be born=xinhpretty
- vìbecause=dìaunt (mother's side)
- bảoto tell, order=bãostorm, typhoon
- bàntable=bàngIndian almond (tree)
- mátcool, refreshing=máclong-bladed knife
- conchild≠congcurved, bent
- ngọcgem, precious stone≠ngọtsweet
Look at the last two: after o, ô and u, -n / -ng and -t / -c stay apart even in the South.
So how do native speakers spell? By reading. Each spelling gets its own anchor, a word you already know, and the spelling sticks to it.
Family 1 of 4
- bỏ
- cỏ
- nhỏ
- vỏ
- đỏ
How many of these 5 words can you read right now?
Spellings that sound alike, pair by pair in your accent: d vs đ, tr vs ch, nh vs ng. The free Telex keyboard applies the c / k, g / gh and ng / ngh rules as you type.
Quick answers
When do you write k instead of c in Vietnamese?
Before i, e, ê and y. Before every other vowel, the same sound is written c: kẹo, kêu, kỳ but cá, cơm, con.
What is the difference between g and gh, ng and ngh?
None in sound. Gh and ngh are only written before i, e, ê; g and ng everywhere else: ghế, nghe but gà, ngon.
Is Vietnamese spelled differently in the South?
No. The spelling is the same everywhere. A Southern accent pronounces some spellings the same (hỏi and ngã, -n and -ng after a), so you learn which spelling a word takes by reading it.
Why is the same vowel written iê in tiền but ia in mía?
It's one vowel. It is written iê when a final consonant follows (tiền) and ia when nothing follows (mía). Uô / ua and ươ / ưa work the same way.
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