ngh

ngh is a Vietnamese initial consonant cluster written with the letters ngh. It functions as a single phonological unit at the start of syllables and is part of native Vietnamese orthography rather than a separate letter in the alphabet. The cluster occurs in many common words and can be combined with a wide range of vowels and diacritics to form different syllables.

Pronunciation: The ngh initial is typically realized as a velar nasal [ŋ]. The h is not pronounced separately; it is part of the spelling. The following vowel carries tones and other diacritics as for any Vietnamese syllable.

Common examples include nghệ thuật (art), nghĩa (meaning), nghĩa vụ (duty), nghèo (poor), nghỉ (to rest), nghiêng (to tilt), nghịch (to be contrary), nghẹt (to choke). These illustrate how the ngh cluster appears across semantic fields from everyday vocabulary to more specialized terms.

Notes: The ngh cluster contrasts with other Vietnamese initials such as ng, nh, and ch, and is confined to native vocabulary rather than loans. In dictionaries and linguistic descriptions, ngh is described as the initial cluster rather than as a separate letter.

See also: Vietnamese alphabet; Vietnamese phonology; Digraph (linguistics).