The Hmong language uses the Roman Popular Alphabet (RPA) or what we know as the American English ABC’s. In doing so, the good news is that if you know American English you already know all the Hmong language letters and can write them. The bad news is that some of the same letters have the same sounds in American English and the Hmong language (e.g., D) but also can have different sounds in American English and the Hmong language (e.g., X). Additionally, some letters will have a sound in the Hmong RPA that does not exist in American English.
The Hmong language divides the RPA into 3 broad letter categories:
- Consonants/Ntawv Txiv
- Vowels/Ntawv Niam
- Tone markers/Tsiaj Ntawv Cim
CONSONANTS/NTAWV TXIV
The consonants are configured into single, double, triple and quadruple consonant groups to represent the array of consonant sounds present in the Hmong language. Here are the consonant groups:
SINGLE CONSONANTS/IB TUG NTAWV TXIV (17)
| C | D | F | H | K | L | M | N | P |
| Q | R | S | T | V | X | Y | Z |
DOUBLE CONSONANTS/OB TUG NTAWV TXIV (22)
| CH | DH | HL | HM | HN | KH | ML | NC | NK | NP |
| NQ | NR | NT | NY | PH | PL | QH | RH | TH | TS |
| TX | XY |
TRIPLE CONSONANTS/PEB TUG NTAWV TXIV (14)
| HML | HNY | NCH | NKH | NPH | NPL | NQH | NTH | NRH | NTS |
| NTX | PLH | TSH | TXH |
QUADRUPLE CONSONANTS/PLAUB TUG NTAWV TXIV (3)
| NPLH | NTSH | NTXH |
As previously stated, the same letters in the Hmong language can have same, different or non-existent sounds in the American English language. Here is the breakdown that helps me.
Same/Same (Letters are the same and sound is the same)
D-vocal
F-aspirated
H-aspirated
K-vocal
L-vocal
M-vocal
N-vocal
P-vocal
V-aspirated
Y-aspirated
Same/Different (Letters are the same but has a different sound in English)
S–> shhhhh-aspirated
T–> th
X–> s
Z –> zh (as in leisure)-aspirated
Same/None (Letters are the same but the sound does not exist in language)
C-vocal
Q-aspirated
R-aspirated
I would encourage you to start your Hmong language lessons with the same/same group of single consonants and then move onto the same/different group and then the same/none group. This will build confidence for you and anyone you might be teaching and reinforces the sounds you already know. Check out the single consonant books here.