KitsumiFree basic Vietnamese words
A seven-page printable PDF for your first weeks of Vietnamese: the six tones, how the letters sound, how words work, 230 everyday words and sentences to read aloud.
PDF · 7 pages · 288 KB · no sign-up · free to print and share
Next, meet these words in real videos: Kitsumi is free for Chrome and Firefox.
What's inside
- Sounds and the six tonesEach tone is drawn as a line, with the classic set ma, mà, má, mả, mã, mạ. Then đ and d, ư, ơ, ă, â, ê and ô, ph, th, kh, ch and tr, nh and ng, with an example word for each and a note on how the South differs.
- How words workNo verb endings: đã, đang and sẽ say when. No plurals, counting words like con and cái, describing words after the noun, and a small table for anh, chị, em, cô, chú, ông, bà and bạn.
- 230 words, then show wordsGreetings, question words, family, days, numbers, phở, bánh mì and cà phê, places and verbs. Then Trời ơi!, Thật hả? and Chết rồi!, the three ways to say yes, the little words nhé, nhỉ and à, and ten sentences to read before you check.
How to use it
- Read the tones page aloud, slowly, tracing each line with your voice. Keep it next to you.
- Read the grammar page twice. You don't need to learn it, just to spot đã or sẽ, and to know why someone says anh.
- Learn five words a day. Cover the grey English on the last page and read each sentence aloud, then slide the paper down to check.
- Watch something in Vietnamese with Kitsumi and catch the words you know. Dạ, ừ and trời ơi turn up all the time.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. It's a free PDF with no sign-up. Print it, keep it and share it.
Is Vietnamese hard to read?
Not really. It uses the Latin letters you know, plus a few marks. Each syllable is written apart, and the marks tell you exactly how to say it.
How many tones does Vietnamese have?
Six in the North: ngang, huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã and nặng. In the South, hỏi and ngã sound the same. The sheet draws each one as a line you can follow.