Master the pronunciation for the glide [w] with o, a, i, ai: uo, ua, ui, uai
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| This is the uo sound, this is the ua sound, the ui sound, and this is the uai 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 uo. This is the sound in words like duō 多, zuò 做, cuò 错. |
| 多 "many," 做 "to do," 错 "wrong." |
| Ua is the sound in zhuā 抓, shuā 刷, guā 瓜 and other words. |
| 抓 "to grab," 刷 "to brush," 瓜 "melon." |
| Ui is the sound in duì 对, cuì 脆, guì 贵 and other words. |
| 对 "correct," 脆 "crispy," 贵 "expensive." |
| Uai is the sound in guài 怪, kuài 快, huài 坏 and other words. |
| 怪 "strange," 快 "fast," 坏 "bad." |
| The u sound in these four sounds is light and fast, make sure to pronounce them as a unit, not two separate sounds. |
| The uo sound sounds like "war" without the r, where the u sound is light and quick, and the o sound is pronounced smoothly without the final r sound. |
| uo |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uo (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uo |
| uo |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uo (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uo |
| The ua sound starts with a quick [w] sound, and the a is pronounced more like the "a" in "father. Keep the transition smooth and natural, don’t separate the two sounds. |
| ua |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ua (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ua |
| ua |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ua (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ua |
| Ui is written as u and i, but it's actually a combination of u sound and ei sound. When you say ui, you combine the u and ei sounds into one smooth sound. Think of it like saying the English word "way" quickly. |
| ui |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ui (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ui |
| ui |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ui (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ui |
| When you pronounce uai, it sounds similar to "why" in English, but with a quicker and lighter u at the beginning. The ai is a bit tighter than in English, so keep your mouth slightly less open. Glide the sounds together smoothly for a natural flow. |
| uai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uai |
| uai |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uai (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| uai |
| [ILLUSTRATION BY EXAMPLE] |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| zhuā/zhuō |
| (space for repetition) |
| zhuā/zhuō |
| zhuī/zhuō |
| (space for repetition) |
| zhuī/zhuō |
| guì/guài |
| (space for repetition) |
| guì/guài |
| guì/guà |
| (space for repetition) |
| guì/guà |
| guài/guò |
| (space for repetition) |
| guài/guò |
| [REVIEW] |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that sounds like "war" but without the r? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| uo |
| (1) |
| uo |
| Do you remember the sound that sounds like "wah" but is more fluid? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ua |
| (1) |
| ua |
| Do you remember the sound that sounds like "way," but without emphasizing the w sound.? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ui |
| (1) |
| ui |
| Do you remember the sound that's similar to the word "why" but with your mouth less open? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| uai |
| (1) |
| uai |
| [PRACTICE] |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the uo sound, and which has the ua sound? |
| 锅/瓜 |
| ("pot"/"melon") |
| (1) |
| 锅/瓜 |
| ("pot"/"melon") |
| (1) |
| 瓜 guā has the ua sound, and 锅 guō has the uo sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the ui sound, and which has the uai sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 对/怪 |
| ("correct"/"strange") |
| (1) |
| 对/怪 |
| ("correct"/"strange") |
| (1) |
| 对 duì has the ui sound, and 怪 guài has the uai sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the ua sound, and which has the uai sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 瓜/乖 |
| ("melon"/"well-behaved") |
| (1) |
| 瓜/乖 |
| ("melon"/"well-behaved") |
| (1) |
| 瓜 guā has the ua sound, and 乖 guāi has the uai sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 他_了门。(Tā _ le mén.) |
| A 脱 tuō |
| B 推 tuī |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 推 tuī |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他推了门 Tā tuī le mén. |
| "He pushed the door." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 宝宝很_。 Bǎo bao hěn _. |
| A 乖 guāi |
| B 瓜 guā |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 乖 guāi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 宝宝很乖。Bǎo bao hěn guāi. |
| "The baby is very well-behaved." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 3. _里有饭。 _ li yǒu fàn. |
| A 锅 guō |
| B 瓜 guā |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 锅 guō |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 锅里有饭。Guō li yǒu fàn. |
| "There is rice in the pot." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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