# Nguyen - how to pronounce? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606 "2000-10-11T23:31:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/21 "2000-10-12T16:22:43Z")
I spoke with a vietnamese fellow with whom I work. He speaks several languages. Based on what he said I cannot refute any of the above statements, but he had this interesting contribution. Apparently, a significant portion of orientals associate their names with the characters that make up their names and not the pronounciation. This may account for the wide varieties of pronounciation promulgated in the west. They often don’t care so long as they know you are talking to them (and don’t call them late for dinner ;)). Tinker ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/22 "2000-10-12T16:30:59Z")
That explains a lot. Except that the Vietnamese (usually) use an adapted Latin alphabet. It is however interesting that most Chinese not only take on English names when in Anglo countries but actually like to have them even when they live in China as a sort of status thing. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/23 "2000-10-12T16:47:44Z")
> [@](#): > > It is however interesting that most Chinese not only take on English names when in Anglo countries but actually like to have them even when they live in China as a sort of status thing. This I’ve noticed. Being an engineering grad student, I know alot more asians than your average Midwesterner. Every one of the Chinese people I know have adopted an English first name that they seem to prefer over their given name. In contrast, the Vietnamese guy I know is named Kahny(sp?) Nguyen and goes by Kahny. ---
**Author:** ![MJH2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@MJH2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJH2)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/24 "2000-10-12T20:05:43Z")
Not to completely hijack the thread away from SE Asia, but I do have a related question: on the pronunciation of the New Zealand mystery writer, Ngaio Marsh. She was English-descent but “Ngaio” – her middle name – is Maori. (Her first name was Edith, IIRC.) Anyway, allowing for Anglicised spellings of Maori names, is it pronounced “NGAY-oh” (as in “way”) or “NGYE-oh” (as in “why”)? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![zwaldd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a9adbd/32.png) [@zwaldd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwaldd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/25 "2000-10-12T20:51:41Z")
i used to work with a guy named ‘nguyen nguyen’. he pronounced it ‘win win’. i remember clarifying it with him a couple of times to make sure i was saying it right. of course whenever he was involved with something, it was a ‘win win situation’. ---
**Author:** ![Lucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/26 "2000-10-12T21:55:25Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s incredible how fast people give up their old identities and start to actually accept the way English-speakers falsely try to pronounce their non-Anglo names It’s not just with English speakers. In Nepal, I often become “Krishna” (yes, I phrased it that way on purpose), because they have trouble with “Christine”. In Germany, I am inevitably “Christin **a** ”. Neither bothers me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/27 "2000-10-13T03:09:58Z")
Unless I’m mistaken, proper names don’t have to follow rules of pronunciation, so pronounce any way Mr/Mrs Nguyen tells you to. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/28 "2000-10-13T07:28:06Z")
I used to know a guy whose last name was “Ng”. He pronounced it…“Enn Gee” Threw me for a loop the first time I heard him introduce himself. I was expecting it to be pronounced “n’Wey” or something similar, since I’d already heard several versions of the way “Nguyen” can be pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/29 "2000-10-13T23:19:49Z")
There’s really nothing to pronouncing the NG at the beginning of a word. The NG sound is just another nasal consonant, like M and N. Though we don’t have that sound at the beginning of words in English, it’s easy if you just think of it as ‘N’, except with your tongue farther back touching the back of your hard palate. Some languanges have velar nasals (soft palate), and even uvular nasal consonants. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/30 "2000-10-15T03:19:28Z")
I worked with a Tri Nguyen. He pronounced it like the english word “wing”. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/31 "2000-10-15T06:07:45Z")
Hey I work with a Tri Nguyen too. Maybe, it’s the same guy. Was yours Vietnamese? 😉 Anyway, our Tri pronounces his first name like the the English prefix for three. It really should be pronounced like “tree” with a rising voice, but so many people mispronounce it, he just goes along with them. In a similar way, your Tri’s version of his last name shouldn’t necessarily be taken as his true opinion of how it should be pronounced. Believe it or not, Nguyen as a first name is different from Nguyen as a last name. The first name has a level tonality, while the last name has low rising or high “squeaking” tonality, depending on the accent. This may seem a fine distinction, but to Vietnamese, tonality is at least as important to distinguishing words as spelling is. ---
**Author:** ![OliverTwistofLime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b487fb/32.png) [@OliverTwistofLime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OliverTwistofLime)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/32 "2000-10-15T07:55:05Z")
Almost every pt. that had that name pronounced it _ween_ preceded as mentioned above with a palatized g so that it came out gWEEN. What I enjoyed thoroughly was that _chow_ probably spelled chou means either HELLO or RICE SOUP depending on whether you say chOW or CHow. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/33 "2000-10-15T12:09:28Z")
Since none of you are going to the last thread of only a few days ago where we had this exact same discussion, I’ll just paste here what I said over there: The tilde tonal mark is called dâú ngã and let’s not get into how that is pronounced. Here’s how the name should be written, in case you want to impress your Vietnamese friends: ```auto ~ Nguyên ``` Except the ngã should have less helium in it when you write it **Kaps** asked: > [@](#): > > Where have you guys heard it pronounced wynn[?] From many many native speakers who are owners of that name, whould be my answer. Many Vietnamese will tell us to pronounce their names in a variety of ways simply because they would rather not go into the whole tonal explanation and even if they did we would still screw it up and probably turn their name into a curse word. So they tell us just to pronounce it “Win”, which is pretty close. The only exception I make is those who insist on pronouncing it “Noodgen”. I can’t forgive anybody but the severely dislexic pronouncing it this way. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/34 "2000-10-15T15:40:53Z")
On Ngaio Marsh, I read that she preferred the pronunciation, “Ni-oh.” I believe it means “clever” in Maori, but could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/35 "2000-10-15T21:03:56Z")
Only on the Dope could there be 33 responses to a simple question. I love this place. A guy at work was interviewing some applicants recently, and two men were left in the room, one white and one Asian – according to the applications, one was Johnny and the other was Tau. He walked over to the Asian man and said, “Hello, I’m Dave, nice to meet you. How do you pronounce your name?” The Asian man looked at him, puzzled, and answered very slowly, “John-nee.” (And the other one is pronounced “taw”.) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/36 "2000-10-16T02:43:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MadSam \* > \*\* > What I enjoyed thoroughly was that _chow_ probably spelled chou means either HELLO or RICE SOUP depending on whether you say chOW or CHow. \*\* It’s spelled “chao”, but otherwise you’re right, assuming you mean “chOW” to represent falling voice and “CHow” to represent rising. Chao can also mean alas, lamp shade, cable, and frying pan in various pronunciations. I’m not sure I enjoy that as thoroughly as you though. Trying to keep tonalities straight drives me … well, mad. ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606/37 "2000-10-16T02:53:15Z")
I went to elementary and high school with lots of Vietnamese, a number of whom were Nguyen’s, some first name and some last. The general understanding was that it was pronounced “when.” One guy (first name Nguyen), who I had known for about eight years, was rather amused one day as we were discussing the pronunciation. He’d say it over and over again, with me and several other Americans repeating it, and he’d just laugh. It’s obviously a sound we don’t grow up with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nguyen-how-to-pronounce/36606.md?page=1)