Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The Heavy Tone is a short, sharp, downward-dropping sound marked by a dot below the vowel.
- Drop your voice pitch abruptly: 'mẹ' (mother).
- Keep the sound very short and glottal: 'bạn' (friend).
- Look for the dot below the vowel: 'đẹp' (beautiful).
Heavy Tone Formation
| Step | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Pitch
|
Low
|
|
2
|
Movement
|
Drop
|
|
3
|
Ending
|
Glottal Stop
|
|
4
|
Duration
|
Very Short
|
|
5
|
Visual
|
Dot below
|
|
6
|
Example
|
mẹ
|
Meanings
The Heavy Tone (Thanh Nặng) is one of the six tones in Vietnamese, characterized by a low, short, and abrupt pitch that ends with a glottal stop.
Standard Tone
The default pronunciation for words marked with a dot below the vowel.
“mẹ”
“bạn”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subject + Verb + Object
|
Mẹ làm việc.
|
|
Negative
|
Subject + không + Verb
|
Mẹ không làm.
|
|
Question
|
Subject + Verb + không?
|
Mẹ làm không?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Có / Không
|
Có.
|
|
Adjective
|
Noun + đẹp
|
Hoa đẹp.
|
|
Noun
|
Mẹ
|
Mẹ tôi.
|
正式程度
Mẹ tôi rất đẹp. (Family)
Mẹ tôi đẹp. (Family)
Mẹ đẹp quá. (Family)
Mẹ đẹp ghê. (Family)
Heavy Tone Characteristics
Sound
- Short Short
- Abrupt Abrupt
Visual
- . Dot below
Pitch
- Low Low
按水平分级的例句
Mẹ tôi đẹp.
My mother is beautiful.
Bạn khỏe không?
How are you?
Tôi làm việc.
I am working.
Cái này đẹp.
This is beautiful.
Hôm nay trời đẹp.
The weather is beautiful today.
Bạn có gạo không?
Do you have rice?
Mẹ tôi đi chợ.
My mother is going to the market.
Tôi làm bài tập.
I am doing homework.
Bạn nên làm việc chăm chỉ.
You should work hard.
Chiếc xe này rất đẹp.
This car is very beautiful.
Mẹ tôi nấu cơm rất ngon.
My mother cooks rice very well.
Bạn đã đọc sách chưa?
Have you read the book yet?
Việc làm này rất quan trọng.
This job is very important.
Cô ấy có nụ cười rất đẹp.
She has a very beautiful smile.
Mẹ tôi luôn ủng hộ tôi.
My mother always supports me.
Bạn hãy làm theo hướng dẫn.
Please follow the instructions.
Sự lựa chọn này thật khó khăn.
This choice is very difficult.
Mẹ thiên nhiên rất vĩ đại.
Mother Nature is great.
Bạn cần phải làm rõ vấn đề này.
You need to clarify this issue.
Bức tranh này đẹp một cách lạ lùng.
This painting is strangely beautiful.
Việc làm của anh ấy đáng được khen ngợi.
His work is worthy of praise.
Mẹ tôi là người phụ nữ đảm đang.
My mother is a capable woman.
Đẹp tự nhiên là vẻ đẹp bền vững.
Natural beauty is sustainable beauty.
Bạn hãy làm chủ vận mệnh của mình.
Take control of your destiny.
容易混淆
Both are low tones.
Both can be mid-low.
Both are sharp.
常见错误
mẹ (long)
mẹ (short)
bạn (rising)
bạn (dropping)
đẹp (flat)
đẹp (dropping)
làm (no stop)
làm (with stop)
gạo (long)
gạo (short)
chợ (rising)
chợ (dropping)
vợ (flat)
vợ (dropping)
mẹ (grave tone)
mẹ (heavy tone)
bạn (long)
bạn (short)
đẹp (rising)
đẹp (dropping)
làm (too soft)
làm (sharp)
gạo (too long)
gạo (short)
chợ (flat)
chợ (dropping)
句型
Mẹ tôi ___.
Tôi đang làm ___.
Bạn có ___ không?
Việc ___ rất quan trọng.
Real World Usage
Mẹ ơi!
Đẹp quá!
Tôi làm việc chăm chỉ.
Cho tôi gạo.
Đẹp không?
Đậu phụ.
Focus on the stop
Don't elongate
Use the dot
Listen to locals
Smart Tips
Clip the vowel short.
Drop your pitch immediately.
Don't skip the glottal stop.
Feel the duration difference.
发音
Glottal Stop
The vocal cords close abruptly at the end of the vowel.
Pitch
The pitch starts low and drops further.
Statement
Mẹ đẹp ↘️
Falling pitch at the end.
Question
Mẹ đẹp không ↗️
Rising pitch at the end.
记住它
记忆技巧
Think of a heavy object dropping on the floor: it hits with a thud and stops immediately.
视觉联想
Imagine a period (dot) at the bottom of a page, acting like a heavy anchor that pulls the sound down and stops it.
Rhyme
Dot below, sound is low, stop it fast, let it go.
Story
My mother (mẹ) was holding a beautiful (đẹp) friend (bạn). She dropped the friend on the floor with a loud thud. The friend stopped moving immediately.
Word Web
挑战
Say the word 'mẹ' 10 times in 10 seconds, ensuring each one is a sharp, short drop.
文化笔记
The Heavy Tone is very sharp and short.
The Heavy Tone is slightly longer and less glottal.
The Heavy Tone is very deep and abrupt.
The Heavy Tone evolved from a final glottal stop in Proto-Vietic.
对话开场白
Mẹ bạn khỏe không?
Cái này có đẹp không?
Bạn làm nghề gì?
Bạn nghĩ gì về vẻ đẹp tự nhiên?
日记主题
常见错误
Test Yourself
a) ma, b) má, c) mẹ, d) mà
Mẹ tôi rất ___ (beautiful).
Find and fix the mistake:
Mẹ tôi là đẹp.
đẹp / tôi / Mẹ
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
The Heavy Tone is long.
A: Bạn khỏe không? B: ___
What tone is 'bạn'?
Score: /8
练习题
8 exercisesa) ma, b) má, c) mẹ, d) mà
Mẹ tôi rất ___ (beautiful).
Find and fix the mistake:
Mẹ tôi là đẹp.
đẹp / tôi / Mẹ
mẹ - Heavy, ma - Level
The Heavy Tone is long.
A: Bạn khỏe không? B: ___
What tone is 'bạn'?
Score: /8
常见问题 (8)
The dot is the visual marker for the Heavy Tone.
Yes, it starts low and drops.
Yes, but the sentence intonation might change.
They are both low, but the Heavy Tone is shorter.
The core characteristics are the same, but duration varies.
Try saying 'uh-oh' and focus on the stop.
Yes, tones are phonemic in Vietnamese.
No, the dot is consistent.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
None
Vietnamese is tonal; Spanish is stress-timed.
None
Vietnamese tones change word meaning.
None
Tones are not phonemic in German.
Pitch accent
Japanese pitch is relative; Vietnamese is absolute.
4th Tone
Vietnamese Heavy Tone is shorter and glottal.
None
No tonal system in Arabic.
