5 Learning compound vowels – ai、ei、ui、ao、ou、iu、ie、üe、er
[ai] Start by making the “a” sound (as in “father”). Then, without interrupting the airflow, glide smoothly into the “i” sound (as in “bee”). The overall pronunciation should be light and short.
[ei] Begin by making the “e” sound (as in “bay”). Next, without breaking the airflow, glide smoothly into the “i” sound (as in “bee”). As you transition, spread the corners of your mouth slightly towards the sides.
[ui] The actual sound is [uei]. To pronounce this, start with a short “u” sound (as in “put”). Then, without interrupting the airflow, glide smoothly into the “ei” sound (as in “bay”). The shape of your mouth should transition from rounded to flat during this movement.
[ao] Start with an open “a” sound (as in “father”), keeping your mouth wide and jaw lowered. Then, without pausing the airflow, glide smoothly into the “oo” sound (as in “boot”). As you move, your tongue should rise and your lips should round, creating a shift from a low, open position to a high, back, rounded one.
[ou] Begin by making the “o” sound (as in “boat”). Gradually bring your lips together, while simultaneously raising the back of your tongue. The shape of your mouth should transition from a larger round shape to a smaller round shape.
[iu] The actual sound is [iou]. To pronounce this, start by making the “i” sound (as in “bee”). Then, without interrupting the airflow, glide smoothly into the “ou” sound (as in “boat”). The shape of your mouth should transition from flat to round during this movement.
[ie] it is written as [ye]. Start with the “i” sound, similar to the short “i” in “pin.” Slide to a slightly open [e] similar to bed in English.
[üe] Unique sound in Chinese. Start with the “ü” sound: This sound doesn’t have a direct equivalent in English. Try to push it a bit forward while keeping the lips rounded. Then slide to the sound [e] in the English word bed.
[er] It is one single sound. Keep the articulation position of pronouncing [e] in Chinese, at the same time curl the tip of the tongue towards the roof in the mouth without touching it.
