pronouncekit

SOUND CONTRAST

u · ü: the back u and the front ü

Keep lù and lǜ, nù and nǚ apart by moving the tongue, not the lips. Includes practice for the hidden ü after j, q and x.

u · ü

Mouth & tongue

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Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

Simplified human pronunciation. The small uvula hangs from the palate; it is not the vocal folds. The wave indicates voicing.

Sound to demonstrate
Tone

High and level, around 55 on the five-level pitch scale.

Voice settings

The mouth starts slightly open. Movement is slowed for observation; the synthetic sound plays once at its original speed. Pause holds the current mouth shape; reset returns to the relaxed position. The panda is a symbolic teaching aid for human pronunciation, not animal anatomy. A simplified teaching model, not a measured or anatomically validated simulation. It shows the soft palate lowering for nasal sounds, but not airflow. Single syllables use eSpeak NG, a synthetic voice on your device. Its pitch range is narrower than natural speech, so use the tone diagrams and word buttons as well. Words and sentences use a voice from your browser or device when one is available. No native recordings are bundled.

Words to practice

Sentence to practice

Listen and compare

The tongue stays back on the first word and forward on the second.

Pinyin here shows dictionary tones. Spoken tones change in some contexts, such as nǐ hǎo; see the lessons on tone changes.

What you are learning

Both vowels have rounded lips and a nearly closed jaw. Only the tongue differs, so a mirror will not help you here. Use your ear and the feel of your tongue instead.

What your mouth is doing

For u, the back of the tongue rises. For ü, the front rises as in i. Only n and l can combine with both, so these are the true minimal pairs. J, q, x and y always use ü.

Compared with English

English has only u-like vowels, and English food is often somewhat fronted, but it is not ü. Start from ee, keep your tongue still, and round your lips.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say yī and round your lips into yū.
  2. Say wū, then return to yū, feeling your tongue slide.
  3. Say lù and lǜ, then nù and nǚ.

What to watch for

  • Reading lǜ as “loo” changes the word.
  • Reading qù or jù with a back u is very common.

Related lessons

Keep practicing

References & editorial notes

PronounceKit wrote this lesson as practical guidance for English speakers, based on the references below. The comparisons are editorial teaching suggestions. It describes common Mainland Standard Mandarin patterns, not every accent or regional variety, and it has not been independently reviewed by a pronunciation specialist or Mandarin teacher.

Published 5 November 2026