pronouncekit

FINAL

ong: rounded vowel with back nasal

Pinyin ong has a rounded vowel and a back nasal, as in dōng and zhōng. It is not the vowel of English long.

ong
Broad IPA
[ʊŋ]

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

Rounded vowel on the first word; unrounded 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

Pinyin ong never stands alone: it needs an initial. Without one, the related syllable is wēng, with a clearly different vowel.

What your mouth is doing

The lips round and the tongue pulls back for a [ʊ]-like vowel, then the back of the tongue rises to the soft palate.

Compared with English

The vowel of English book with an ng ending is the closest cue: “boong”. English long has a much more open vowel for many speakers.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say the vowel of book with rounded lips.
  2. Add the hum of ng without any g.
  3. Say dōng, zhōng and hóng.

What to watch for

  • An open vowel, as in English “dong”, sounds wrong. Round more.
  • Adding g at the end adds a closure.

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