All about Ü
Note 2: Fix your ju, qu, and xu
Practice Goals:
- Tame your muscles for ju, qu, and xu.
- Being able to hear the differences between ju, qu, xu, and zhu, chu, shu.
- Understand the spelling rule.
- Pronounce ju, qu, xu in longer sentences (tongue twisters!)
- New practice habit: reward yourself to stay motivated.
Does your “chūqù 出去 (to go out)” sound like “choo-choo”? 🚂
If you’ve ever been corrected on this word—or just feel like you can’t wrap your head around it—you’re not alone. This one’s tricky because you’re fighting two battles at once:
- Training your muscles to pronounce ju, qu, and xu
- Figuring out the inconsistent spelling—when is it u, and when is it ü?
Today, I’ll give you all the tools you need to level up your pronunciation game. We’ll use video, audio clips, quizzes, and fun tongue twisters to tackle the sound. Don’t forget to download your free Practice Log to keep track of your progress toward native-like pronunciation!
What is going on with ju, qu, and xu?
Watch the video to upgrade your pronunciation of ju, qu, and xu, and learn the one golden rule behind the weird pinyin spelling.
Think you are getting it? Let’s work on each of the skills step-by-step.
The spelling
There’s only one rule: If you see j, q, x, or y followed by u, that u is actually ü.
If there’s no j, q, x, or y, the spelling will show u and ü accurately.
Think you’ve got it? Try the quiz below to test your understanding! These are a mix of u and ü words. Can you spot them all? (click on “Start test” to start”)
Hear the differences
Hearing the differences between similar-sounding words is the first step toward clearer pronunciation. Listen carefully to the word pairs below.
Pair 1
júzi (orange 橘子)
zhúzi (bamboo 竹子)
Pair 2
qǔzi (music piece 曲子)
chúzi (cook 廚子/厨子)
Pair 3
xūzì (function word 虛字/虚字)
shùzì (number 數字/数字)
Can you hear the difference between ju, qu, xu, and zhu, chu, shu?
- In ju, qu, and xu, the tip of your tongue rests comfortably behind your lower teeth.
- In zhu, chu, and shu, the tip of your tongue is more engaged in articulation:
- In zhu and chu, it touches the roof of your mouth.
- In shu, it almost touches the roof of your mouth, forming a narrow airway for the air to squeeze through.
Try these challenge words. Can you pronounce them?
jùzhù (masterpiece 巨著)
qùchù (whereabouts 去處/去处)
xùshù (narrative 敘述/叙述)
Tongue twisters
Now you are ready to fight two battles at once! 🥊 These tongue twisters challenge both your pronunciation and pinyin knowledge.
- First, look at the pinyin and decide which u is actually ü.
- Then, listen to the recording and try saying them out loud.
Record yourself saying them, upload the video to YouTube, and drop the link in the comments. You might get featured in our Practice Room!
Tongue twister 1
Xiàwǔ xiàyǔ, bié chūqù
(It’s going to rain in the afternoon, don’t go out.)
下午下雨，別出去。/ 下午下雨，别出去。
(slower)
(faster)
Tongue twister 2
Niányú yǒu húxū, lúyú méi yǒu húxū.
(A catfish has whiskers, and a sea bass doesn’t.)
鯰魚有鬍鬚，鱸魚沒有鬍鬚。/ 鲶鱼有胡须，鲈鱼没有胡须。
(slower)
(faster)
Tongue twister 3
Mùlán qù dú fǎlǜ, mùshū qù dú wàiyǔ.
(Mulan is going to study law. Mushu is going to study foreign languages.)
木蘭去讀法律，木須去讀外語。 / 木兰去读法律，木须去读外语。
(slower)
(faster)
Tongue twister 4
Wǒ xūyào qùnián fǎlǜxì lùqǔlǜ de shùjù.
(I need last year’s law school acceptance rate data. )
我需要去年法律系錄取率的數據。 / 我需要去年法律系录取率的数据。
(slower)
(faster)
Your practice log
Unless you’re a heritage speaker who grew up speaking Chinese, mastering ju, qu, and xu in one day is unlikely. That’s totally okay! Keeping a Practice Log is a powerful way to take control of your own progress. You can make your own, or download mine for free:
In our next Practice Note, we’ll tackle your jue, que, xue, and yue, and polish your pronunciation of -ün and -üan once and for all.
Leave a comment, and stay tuned!
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