pronouncekit

FINAL

ang: back vowel with back nasal

Learn the deep vowel and back nasal of ang, in máng and shàng. Compare with an until you can feel the tongue move.

ang
Broad IPA
[ɑŋ]

Mouth & tongue

Enable JavaScript to view the 3D panda. Pronunciation steps remain available below.

Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

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

Nasal: the soft palate lowers; air exits the nose

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

Tongue back on the first word; tip up 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

In ang both parts are further back than in an: a darker vowel and a nasal at the soft palate.

What your mouth is doing

The jaw opens with the tongue pulled back, then the back of the tongue rises to the soft palate. The tip stays low.

Compared with English

The ending of English song or sang gives the nasal. The vowel is nearer father than cat, so sāng is not English “sang”.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say a deep father-like a.
  2. Lift the back of your tongue and hum, without adding g.
  3. Say máng, shàng and tāng.

What to watch for

  • Adding a g, as in “sang-guh”, makes an extra closure.
  • Moving the tip up gives an.

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