Vietnamese Tones

What your child learns

• Hearing the six Vietnamese tones: ngang, huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã and nặng
• Recognising the tone marks on a letter: à, á, ả, ã, ạ
• Telling apart the hardest pair, hỏi and ngã (vỏ and võ)
• Seeing which vowel carries the mark in words like dứa, chảo, ngỗng

How to play

1. Press "Play now". The voice reads one Vietnamese word, for example "dứa".
2. The screen shows the word without its mark ("dưa"), with the vowel that needs the mark in a yellow box.
3. Tap the right tone card. Tap the ear, the word or the speaker button to hear it again. On a computer, number keys 1–6 also work.
4. A right answer puts the mark on the word, shows a picture of it and reads it again. A wrong card fades and your child tries again.

For parents

• Your child should already know basic Vietnamese letters; the game trains the ear, not reading.
• Words are always read in Vietnamese with a northern accent, where hỏi and ngã sound clearly different; instructions and praise follow the voice you choose.
• It starts with two very different tones; more cards appear after right answers in a row. Hỏi comes at level 4, ngã at level 5, and from level 6 they appear together.
• Many words differ only by their tone (dưa, dừa, dứa; cưa, cửa; vỏ, võ), so kids must listen rather than guess. A right answer on the first try earns a star.