Learn to pronounce the glide [ɥ] with n, e, an: ün vs üe vs üan
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| This is the ün sound, this is the üe sound, and this is the üan sound. |
| 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 ün. This is the sound in jūn 军, yún 云, xún 寻. |
| Üe is the sound in quē 缺, xué 学, yuè 月. |
| Üan is the sound in quǎn 犬, xuǎn 选, yuán 圆. |
| When there is no consonant at the beginning of a syllable, ün, üe, üan are written as yun, yue, yuan. |
| To make the ün sound, start from the vowel ü, prolong it, and move your tongue backward while allowing air to come through your nose. The mouth is slightly open. |
| The closest English sound we can find is probably the ueen sound in the word "queen," but make sure you don't pronounce the ee too strongly. |
| ün |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ün (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ün |
| ün |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ün (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ün |
| Üe is a combination of [y] and [ɛ]. You can think of the [ɛ] sound as the [ɛ] sound in the word "bet." Quickly glide from [y] to [ɛ], making it a single, continuous sound without separating the two. |
| A common Chinese word that contains this sound is 月 yuè "moon." |
| üe |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üe (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üe |
| üe |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üe (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üe |
| Üan, is a combination of [y] and [ɛn]. You can think of the an sound as the an sound in the word "and." Quickly glide from [y] to [ɛn], making it a single, continuous sound without separating the two. |
| A common Chinese word that contains this sound is 圆 yuán, "round." |
| üan |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üan (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üan |
| üan |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üan (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| üan |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| yún/yuán |
| (space for repetition) |
| yún/yuán |
| yuè/yùn |
| (space for repetition) |
| yuè/yùn |
| xué/xuán |
| (space for repetition) |
| xué/xuán |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound similar to the vowel sound in "queen," but softer? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ün |
| (1) |
| ün |
| Do you remember the sound that makes up the Chinese word for "moon?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| üe |
| (1) |
| üe |
| Do you remember the sound that makes up the Chinese word for "round?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| üan |
| (1) |
| üan |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the ün sound, and which has the üan sound? |
| 云/圆 |
| ("cloud"/"round") |
| (1) |
| 云/圆 |
| ("cloud"/"round") |
| (1) |
| 云 yn has the ün sound, and 圆 yuán has the üan sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the üe sound, and which has the üan sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 雪/选 |
| ("snow"/"to choose") |
| (1) |
| 雪/选 |
| ("snow"/"to choose") |
| (1) |
| 雪 xuě has the üe sound, and 选 xuǎn has the üan sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the ün sound, and which has the üe sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 学/寻 |
| ("to learn"/"to search") |
| (1) |
| 学/寻 |
| ("to learn"/"to search") |
| (1) |
| 学 xué has the üe sound, and 寻 xún has the ün sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 我喜欢白_。 Wǒ xǐ huān bái _ . |
| A 圆 yuán |
| B 云 yún |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 云 yún |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我喜欢白云。 Wǒ xǐ huān bái yún. |
| "I like white clouds." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他在_习。 Tā zài _ xí. |
| A 学 xué |
| B 寻 xún |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 学 xué |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他在学习。 Tā zài xué xí. |
| "He is studying." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 下_了。 xià _ le. |
| A 选 xuǎn |
| B 雪 xuě |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 雪 xuě |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 下雪了。 Xià xuě le. |
| "It's snowing." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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