You’ve learned that Pinyin Romanization for Mandarin Chinese teaches you how to pronounce

the characters and that all characters have a final, even if they have no initial. This lesson
will teach you some simple finals, ɑ o e i u ü. You’ll also practice using the four tones.

Pinyin Lesson 2
S i m p l e F i n a l s ：ɑ o e i u ü

ɑoeiuü
Key Rules of Pronunciation
ɑ When it is pronounced by itself, ɑ is a central vowel. The tongue remains in a natural, relaxed
position. It sounds similar to the a in “fa la la.”

o is a rounded semi-high back vowel. The lips are rounded when pronouncing o.

e is an unrounded semi-high back vowel. It may be helpful to first position the tongue as if
pronouncing o, and then change the shape of the mouth from rounded to unrounded. At the same
time spread the lips apart, as if you were smiling. This vowel is different from “e” in English, which
is pronounced with the tongue raised slightly forward.

i is an unrounded high front vowel. Try to squeeze a smile and pull the corners of your mouth
straight back. It is a similar to the long vowel in the English word “sheep”. However, the tongue is
raised higher than it would be to pronounce its counterpart in English.

u is a rounded high back vowel. Pucker up your lips when pronouncing this sound. It is similar to
the long vowel in the English word “choose”, but the tongue is raised higher and retracted more.

ü is a rounded high front vowel. To pronounce this vowel, first position the tongue as if to
pronounce i, then round the lips.

Spelling Rules
If “i”, “u”, or “ü” is used as an individual syllable, “y” or “w” must be placed in front of it. The two
dots above “ü” are omitted. Examples: yi , wu , yu .
Pinyin Table

ˉ ˊ ˇ ˋ
ā á ǎ à
ō ó ǒ ò
ē é ě è
yī yí yǐ yì
wū wú wǔ wù
yū yú yǔ yù

For example :

ā
( ah )

è
( hungry )
 ò
( oh )

yī
( one )

yì
( a hundred million )
 wǔ
( five )

yú
( fish )

yǔ
( rain )