单韵母Simple Finals
Six vowel sounds carry most of Mandarin’s pronunciation, and most of its traps. This is a listening-first guide to a · o · i · u · ü · e — what each one sounds like, how it changes shape next to certain consonants, and where English intuition will lead you astray.
Before the finals: the 21 initials
Every Mandarin syllable pairs an initial (a consonant) with a final (the vowel sound covered below). If the initials aren’t solid yet, these link straight to the matching section of Part 1 and Part 2.
a
the open one — nothing changes it
Like the “a” in the English word ha. Mouth wide open, no surprises.
o
rounds into “uo” after b · p · m · f
Like the “o” in Orange — lips rounded.
But paired with the initials b, p, m, f, “o” quietly becomes “uo” in sound.
i
spelled “y” or “yi” with no initial in front
Like the “ee” in sheep, but raise your tongue a little higher.
No initial before it → spelled y. Standing completely alone → spelled yi.
u
spelled “w” or “wu” with no initial in front
Like the “oo” in coop, but raise your tongue a little higher.
No initial before it → spelled w. Standing completely alone → spelled wu.
ü
no English equivalent — and its dots vanish after j·q·x
Shape your tongue as if to say “i”, then round your lips. There’s nothing quite like it in English.
No initial, or standing alone → always spelled yu.
After j, q, x, the two dots disappear on the page — the sound stays exactly the same.
e
four faces, four contexts — this is the one worth slowing down for
Alone, or after just one consonant: sounds like the “u” in hurry.
Right after i, y, or yu/ü: sounds like the “e” in letter.
As “ei”: sounds like the English letter “A”. (Technically a combination final, included here for comparison.)
As “er”: sounds like “ir” in sir. It only ever appears alone, or attached to a syllable for erhua. (Also technically a combination final.)
Erhua is the process of adding an “r” sound onto a syllable in spoken Mandarin. More on that in the companion article on Chinese Compound Words.
Listening check — 15 questions
This is a dictation quiz — every clip below is the site’s own recording. Press play, then pick what you heard. No text hints; train your ear, not your eyes.
