How to pronounce [ui]:
The final [ui] in Pinyin is a contracted form of “uei.” Its sound starts with a slight “u” (as in the “w” sound in English “way”) and then smoothly glides into an “ei” sound. Think of it as pronouncing “way” but starting with your lips more rounded for the initial “u” element. After certain initials, [ui] is written without the “e” but the sound is essentially [u + ei].
Written rule:
“ui” from “uei”: When “uei” follows certain consonants (like d, t, g, k, h, z, c, s), the letter “e” is dropped in writing, becoming “ui.” For instance, “dui” (对) represents the sound [duei], but is written as “dui” not “duei.” Although the spelling is shortened, the pronunciation remains as a combination of “u” (w-like sound) + “ei.”
e.g.
PinyinWritten asSound like[dui]duiduei[tui]tuituei[gui]guiguei
How to pronounce [un]:
The final [un] is a contracted form of “uen.” Pronounce it by starting with a rounded “u” sound and then moving into the nasal “en.” This produces a sound similar to “wen” in English but slightly shorter. In standalone form, this syllable might appear as “wen” (as in “问 / wen”) when it’s on its own, but after certain initials it’s shortened to [un] (e.g., “dun,” “tun,” “gun”).
Written rule:
“un” from “uen”: Similarly, “uen” is shortened to “un” after certain initials (like d, t, g, k, h, z, c, s, l, r). So “dun” (顿) sounds like [duen] but is spelled as “dun.” When it stands alone as a syllable (e.g., 问 “wen”), the full form with the “e” is retained.
e.g.
PinyinWritten asSound like[dun]dunduen[tun]tuntuen[gun]gunguen
The post How to pronounce [ui] / [un] in Chinese Pinyin appeared first on .
