pronouncekit

FINAL

ei: mid front diphthong

Pinyin ei rises from a mid front vowel, like English day but shorter. Practice běi, měi and hēi.

ei
Broad IPA
[ei̯]

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

Compare a mid start with an open start.

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

Pinyin ei is one of the easier finals, but its tone must spread across the whole glide.

What your mouth is doing

The tongue starts mid front with the jaw slightly open, then rises toward i. The lips stay neutral or spread.

Compared with English

English ay in day is a close model. Keep the glide compact, and do not let the first part lengthen in the way some English accents do.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say day and drop the d.
  2. Shorten it so that the glide is quick.
  3. Say bēi, méi, měi and mèi.

What to watch for

  • Reading ei like the ie of English “pie” follows spelling. Use the vowel of day.
  • Flat tones sound especially obvious here. Follow the contour through the glide.

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