Pinyin 4 of 6 · day 4
Vowels that lie
ü, e and i don't sound the way they look — and -ian rhymes with yen.
What to listen for
- ü: say “ee”, then round your lips without moving your tongue. After j q x y it's written u, but it's still ü.
- e on its own is the uh of duh, from further back. After z c s zh ch sh r, i isn't a vowel at all — the consonant just keeps buzzing.
- -ian rhymes with yen, not yawn. -ui, -iu and -un hide a vowel: uei, iou, uen.
Watch
On the morning ride: watch the mouths and mime the sounds. The listening check below works on the same ride.
Hear the difference
Tap any sound. Native speakers, not a robot voice.
ü is not u
e and the buzzing i
-ian rhymes with yen
Listening check
Ten sounds. Nine right and the unit is solid; below that, replay the pairs you missed and go again.
10 sounds · 9 right is solid
Earbuds in. Each sound plays as its question appears — replay it as often as you like, then pick what you heard.
Say it out loud
At the evening desk: hear a word, say it, record yourself, play both back. Whole words — the tone rides along.
Tutor: ü against u, then the buzzing i in 字 and 是; the tutor checks your lips are rounded for ü.
Native recordings: Chen Wang (syllables) and Yue Tan (words), from the audio-cmn project, CC BY-SA. Source