How do you pronounce Le Ngoc?

Answer 1

A good approximation is "nuhWEN." Some others suggest "Win", "Wing", "Nwing", "Wen", "Nwen" etc. Any of these will get you by in North America. Whatever you do, don't say "Nuh-goy-en".

The "ng" at the beginning is pronounced just as the "ng" in English, although English speakers may be unaccustomed to putting this sound at the beginning of a syllable. Do not make a gulping sound on the 'g'. With some practice, it is not difficult at all.

The "uye" portion is a tripthong -- a succession of vowels crammed into one syllable: "oo-eh" (approximately like "weh" in English) Now say it fast in one uninterrupted sound. (Note that the Northern Dialect of Vietnamese pronounces this ""oo-ee-eh")

The final 'n' is just an 'n', but with a slight hint of "ng", but not as much as at the beginning.

Ok, now say the whole thing in one syllable.

We're not done yet. Vietnamese is spoken with "tone", meaning that you need to sing the words. As a first (given) name, "nguyen" is spoken with an even level sound, that does not fall off at the end. As a last (family) name, it a melody similar to "huh?" in English. (In the Northern Dialect, you also speak it with the rhythm of English "uh-oh").

So, all together, it might sound like "Nwen" now, but a real Vietnamese speaker will hear the difference, and respect your effort and attention to the subtleties of the language.

Answer 2

knock