Master the pronunciation for the Chinese diphthongs: ai vs ao vs ei vs ou
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| This is the ai sound, and this is the ao sound. This is the ei sound, and this is the ou sound. Ai, ao, ei, ou. |
| By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you’ll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I’m YangYun, and this is Chinese Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first is ai. This is the sound in bái 白 "white," dài 袋 bag, nǎi 奶 "milk." |
| Ao is the sound in bāo 包 "bag," pǎo 跑 "run," dāo 刀 "knife." |
| Ei is the sound in bēi 杯 "cup," péi 陪 "accompany," lèi 累 "tired." |
| Ou is the sound in dōu 都 "all," tóu 头 "head," shǒu 手 "hand." |
| These four sounds are similar to English diphthongs, such as [ɑi] in "high," [au] in "how," [eɪ] in "eight," and [oʊ] in "slow." |
| To keep it simple, you can start by pronouncing Chinese diphthongs like in English. As you get better, you'll notice and be able to make the minor differences between them. |
| The Chinese ai sound is similar to English [ɑi]; the difference is that the [ɑ] in English [ɑi] is a back low vowel, but the [a] in Chinese diphthong [ai] is a front low vowel, which means the tongue is more in a neutral position when pronouncing the Chinese [ai]. Pay attention to how [host name] pronounces this sound. |
| ai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai |
| ai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ai |
| The Chinese ao sound is similar to English [au] as in "how;" the difference is that the [ɑ] sound in Chinese ao [ɑu] is lower and more backward. This [ɑ] is the same as in the word "father." So it is not [au], but [ɑu]. |
| ao |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ao (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ao |
| ao |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ao (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ao |
| The Chinese ei sound is similar to the ei sound in the word "vein." |
| ei |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei |
| ei |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ei |
| The Chinese ou sound is similar to the [oʊ] sound in the word "slow." |
| ou |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou |
| ou |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ou |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| mǎi/měi |
| (space for repetition) |
| mǎi/měi |
| mài/mào |
| (space for repetition) |
| mài/mào |
| lài/lòu |
| (space for repetition) |
| lài/lòu |
| tào/tòu |
| (space for repetition) |
| tào/tòu |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound similar to [ɑi] sound in "high?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ai |
| (1) |
| ai |
| And the sound similar to [au] in the word "how?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ao |
| (1) |
| ao |
| Do you remember the sound similar to the ei sound in the word "vein?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ei |
| (1) |
| ei |
| Do you remember the sound similar to the [oʊ] sound in the word "slow?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ou |
| (1) |
| ou |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the ai sound, and which has the ao sound? |
| 卖/帽 |
| ("sell"/"hat") |
| (1) |
| 卖/帽 |
| ("sell"/"hat") |
| (1) |
| 卖 mài has the ai sound, and 帽 mào has the ao sound. |
| Let’s try another. Which word has the ei sound, and which has the ou sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 累/漏 |
| ("tired"/"leak") |
| (1) |
| 累/漏 |
| ("tired"/"leak") |
| (1) |
| 累 lèi has the ei sound, and 漏 lòu has the ou sound. |
| Let’s try one more. Which word has the ei sound, and which has the ao sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 杯/包 |
| ("cup"/"bag") |
| (1) |
| 杯/包 |
| ("cup"/"bag") |
| (1) |
| 杯 bēi has the ei sound, and 包 bāo has the ao sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| _水果。 _ shuǐ guǒ. |
| A 帽 mào |
| B 卖 mài |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 卖 mài |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 卖水果。 Mài shuǐ guǒ. |
| "Selling fruits." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 用纸_。Yòng zhǐ _. |
| A 包 bāo |
| B 杯 bēi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 包 bāo |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 用纸包。Yòng zhǐ bāo. |
| "Wrapped with paper." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 感到_。 Gǎn dào _. |
| A 漏 lòu |
| B 累 lèi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 累 lèi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 感到累。Gǎn dào lèi. |
| "Feeling tired." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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