All about Ü
Note 3: Fine-tune your -üe, -üan, and ün
Practice Goals:
- Being able to hear and pronounce -üe, -üan, and -ün correctly.
- Being able to pronounce -üe, -üan, and -ün in longer sentences (tongue twisters!)
- New learning habit: always listen to how a word is pronounced when learning a new word. Pinyin may trick you!
Feeling awkward saying words such as xuéshēng👨🏻🎓, hěn yuǎn🔭, or qúnzi👗? These words trip up so many learners for good reason. You’re facing two challenges at once:
- That sneaky ü again.
- Pinyin spelling that betrays your eyes and ears.
We’re going to clear things up once and for all. You’ll watch a video, listen to sound clips, compare correct and incorrect pronunciations, and practice with some tongue twisters to train your mouth and ears. Don’t forget to download your Practice Log to keep track of your progress!
Watch the video below to hear how -üe, -üan, and -ün are really pronounced.
(See the footnote* if you’re still confused about the two dots on ü.)
Now, let’s get things straight one by one.
1. -üe
I don’t usually teach by showing the wrong pronunciation. But in this case, it helps. Because almost everyone makes the same mistake: withdrawing the tongue too early.
Listen and compare:
✔️correct -üe
❌ incorrect -üe
When I pronounce -üe, my tongue stays forward and engaged right through the ü. If you let your tongue drop back too soon, it won’t sound right.
Now let’s hear it in context:
Niǔyuē (New York 紐約/纽约)
❌ incorrect
juése (to think 覺得/觉得)
❌ incorrect
máquè (sparrow 麻雀)
❌ incorrect
dàxué (college 大學/大学)
❌ incorrect
It’s tongue twister time!
Wǒ juéde Niǔyuē Dàxué de máquè tài duō le.
(I think there are too many sparrows at NYU.)
我覺得紐約大學的麻雀太多了。/ 我觉得纽约大学的麻雀太多了。
(slower)
(faster)
2. -üan
This one confuses learners because it looks like the familiar final -an, but it doesn’t sound like it at all. The -üan sound is much narrower. Take a listen:
✔️correct -üan
❌ incorrect -üan
Now hear it in these words:
wǔyuán (5 dollars 五元)
tiántiánquān (doughnut 甜甜圈)
ròuguìjuǎn (cinnamon roll 肉桂捲/肉桂卷)
xuǎn (to choose 選/选)
Here is a tongue twister to take to the bakery.
Wǒ xuǎn le tiántiánquān hé ròuguìjuǎn, yígòng wǔyuán.
(I chose a doughnut and a cinnamon roll. 5 dollars in total..)
我選了甜甜圈和肉桂捲，一共五元。/ 我选了甜甜圈和肉桂卷，一共五元。
(slower)
(faster)
3. -ün
Let’s listen to -ün first:
-ün
Try it. Start with a kiss (pursed ü lips), end with a faint smile (n-ending).
This one is often forgotten or confused with -un like in chūntiān (spring) or kùn (sleepy). But here’s the rule that saves the day: If you see “u” after j, q, x, or y in pinyin, it’s actually “ü.” (See footnote*)
Try these:
tóuyūn (dizzy 頭暈/头晕)
jūnrén (soldier 軍人/军人)
yìqún (a groupd of 一群)
xùnliàn (to train 訓練/训练)
Get your tongue trained to for -ün 🏋️♂️
Yìqún jūnrén xùnliàn dào tóuyūn.
(A group of soldiers trained until they were dizzy.)
一群軍人訓練到頭暈。/ 一群军人训练到头晕。
(slower)
(faster)
Bonus: a festive ü
For Mid-Autumn Festival, here’s a phrase packed with ü’s and good vibes:
Yuàn yuè yuán rén tuányuán, hǎo yùn liánlián!
(May the moon be full, may families reunite, and may good luck come one after another!)
願月圓人團圓，好運連連！/ 愿月圆人团圆，好运连连！
(slower)
(faster)
Practice Log
Pronunciation takes time and deliberate practice. Download your practice log and track your progress.
This concludes our All About Ü mini-series. Are you feeling more confident about the ü now? If you want to share your tips and secretes, drop them in the comments!
Next week, we will start working on fine-tuning your four tones. Keep practicing, and stay tuned!
*Footnote
Wait… what’s with the two dots on ü?
Quick recap: When -ü, -üe, -üan and -ün follows j, q, x, y in pinyin, the dots are dropped, but the sound stays the same.
Fro examples:
- “ju” is pronounced as “jü”
- “que” is pronounced as “qüe”
- “xuan” is pronounced as “xüan”
- “yun” is pronounced as “yün”
Once you get this rule down, ü will start making a lot more sense.
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