Vietnamese first name

How to pronounce Thảo

Thảo
Without marks
thao
Syllables
1 · thảo
Tone
hỏi (hook above · dipping)
Also a common word
grass, herb

Thảo, block by block

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 waya u ao thờ ao thao hỏi thảo

thảograss, herb

Every tone

The same letters without a tone (the root), then with each tone the spelling allows: some are words, some only possible syllables.

Southern or Northern?

South · Sài Gòn

  • hỏi = ngã

North · Hà Nội

said as written

Same sound, different spelling: the accent changes the sound, never the written word.

“thao” without the marks

3 other real words are spelled thao apart from the marks. Only the marks tell them from thảo.

  • tháoto dismantle, take apart
  • thạoproficient, skilled
  • thaoraw silk

Read Thảo? Then you can read these

Same rhyme, same tone: only the first consonant changes. That's how the app teaches reading, from words you know to every word that sounds like them.

Like thảo

  • đảoisland
  • ảovirtual, unreal
  • bảoto tell, order
  • chảofrying pan
  • tảoalgae
  • hảogood, fine
  • khảoto research
  • xảocunning, crafty

Any other word, and your own words: in the app.

Create my free account

Spelling to know

ai or ay? ao or au?

In ay and au the a is short (an ă written a). In ai and ao it is long. Listen to the length: hai / tay, sao / sau.

hai · tay · sao · sau

hỏi or ngã?

Two different marks in writing (hook / tilde). In the South they sound the same: only knowing the word tells you which.

ngủ · phở · sữa · mũi

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Thảo?

Block by block: a → u → ao → th → thao → hỏi → thảo. Tone: hỏi (hook above · dipping). Read each block aloud, then compare with the recording, in a Southern or a Northern voice.

What tone is Thảo?

hỏi (hook above · dipping)

Is Thảo said differently in the South and the North?

South · Sài Gòn: hỏi = ngã. North · Hà Nội: said as written.

What does “thao” mean without the marks?

Without the marks, thao can be several words: tháo (to dismantle, take apart), thạo (proficient, skilled), thao (raw silk). The marks decide which one.

Is Thảo also a common word?

grass, herb; generous

More: First names

All the words →
Free toolVietnamese alphabet chart →29 letters, each with a word you know and its sound. Print it.
Free toolLook-alike letters compared →ă / â, d / đ, tr / ch, hỏi / ngã: real word pairs, the same or not in your accent.
Free toolType Vietnamese with Telex →A keyboard that explains every key, and a 5-minute course.

Any word, in your accent

In the app, every word of the dictionary opens in the Microscope, and your own words become the anchors you read with.

Create my free account