Difference between revisions of "The "a" vowel"
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The first vowel you want to learn in pinyin is "a." It can combine with all of those [[easy sounds]] you already learned in part 1 of this guide, so it's a great place to start.
 
The first vowel you want to learn in pinyin is "a." It can combine with all of those [[easy sounds]] you already learned in part 1 of this guide, so it's a great place to start.
  
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{{Number in Series|2|Pinyin quick start guide}}
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== Pinyin's Main "a" Vowel Sound ==
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Although the "a" sound in Chinese can vary a little bit, and is slightly changed when followed by a "[[-n]]" or a "[[-ng]]" sound, it should sound more or less consistent in the syllables introduced in this section. Remember that you can click on the sounds in the chart fragment to hear audio.
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* [[-a]] sounds like the "a" sound in the English words <span class="enpron">"<strong>a</strong>h"</span> or <span class="enpron">"h<strong>a</strong>"</span> or <span class="enpron">"f<strong>a</strong>ther"</span>.
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* [[-ai]] sounds like the "ai" in the English words <span class="enpron">"Th<strong>ai</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"<strong>ai</strong>sle"</span>.
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* [[-ao]] sounds pretty much like the word <span class="enpron">"T<strong>ao</strong>"</span>/<span class="enpron">"D<strong>ao</strong>"</span> which we've imported into English from Chinese, or the <span class="enpron">"ow"</span> in the English word <span class="enpron">"how"</span>, but with a rather muted “w” sound at the end.
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* [[-an]] sounds similar to <span class="enpron">“on”</span> (minus a strong <span class="enpron">“aw”</span> sound like in <span class="enpron">“lawn”</span>) but you may also hear a hint of the vowel sound in the English word <span class="enpron">“can”</span>. This sound doesn't match up to English sounds perfectly, but it's not hard to approximate.
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* [[-ang]] sounds similar to the <span class="enpron">"ong"</span> sound in the word <span class="enpron">"King K<strong>ong</strong>"</span>. Because you have the nasalized "[[-ng]]" ending, the "a" vowel changes slightly, but that's not something you should have to worry about too much.
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== Pinyin Chart Fragment ==
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This is just a part of the full [[pinyin chart]], limited to the sounds we've covered so far.
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{{#widget: Pinyin chart
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}}
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== Pinyin's Alternate "a" Vowel Sounds ==
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The letter "a" in pinyin can actually make different sounds as well, when it is part of the "[[-ian]]" and "[[-üan]]" finals. Those sounds will be covered in later sections of this guide.
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For now, let's move on to [[the "e" vowel]].
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== Sources and further reading ==
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* Sinosplice: [http://www.sinosplice.com/learn-chinese/pronunciation-of-mandarin-chinese/2 Chinese Pronunciation]
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* ChinesePod: [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/1 A with Easy Consonants]
  
 
[[Category:Pinyin]]
 
[[Category:Pinyin]]
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{{Point Type|pinyin}}
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{{Basic Pronunciation|A1|31|The vowel "a" in Mandarin isn't too hard, so let's start with that one. Now you can make actual syllables!|pinyin|ASP00004}}
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{{Level|A1}}
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{{Number in Series|2|Pinyin quick start  guide}}
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{{References|-a}}
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{{References|-ai}}
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{{References|-ao}}
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{{References|-an}}
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{{References|-ang}}

Latest revision as of 02:46, 10 June 2015

The first vowel you want to learn in pinyin is "a." It can combine with all of those easy sounds you already learned in part 1 of this guide, so it's a great place to start.

Pinyin's Main "a" Vowel Sound

Although the "a" sound in Chinese can vary a little bit, and is slightly changed when followed by a "-n" or a "-ng" sound, it should sound more or less consistent in the syllables introduced in this section. Remember that you can click on the sounds in the chart fragment to hear audio.

  • -a sounds like the "a" sound in the English words "ah" or "ha" or "father".
  • -ai sounds like the "ai" in the English words "Thai" and "aisle".
  • -ao sounds pretty much like the word "Tao"/"Dao" which we've imported into English from Chinese, or the "ow" in the English word "how", but with a rather muted “w” sound at the end.
  • -an sounds similar to “on” (minus a strong “aw” sound like in “lawn”) but you may also hear a hint of the vowel sound in the English word “can”. This sound doesn't match up to English sounds perfectly, but it's not hard to approximate.
  • -ang sounds similar to the "ong" sound in the word "King Kong". Because you have the nasalized "-ng" ending, the "a" vowel changes slightly, but that's not something you should have to worry about too much.

Pinyin Chart Fragment

This is just a part of the full pinyin chart, limited to the sounds we've covered so far.

Tone: 1 2 3 4 1234 [Show more Settings]

-a -ai -ao -an -ang
b-
ba
bai
bao
ban
bang
 b-
p-
pa
pai
pao
pan
pang
 p-
m-
ma
mai
mao
man
mang
 m-
f-
fa
fan
fang
 f-
d-
da
dai
dao
dan
dang
 d-
t-
ta
tai
tao
tan
tang
 t-
n-
na
nai
nao
nan
nang
 n-
l-
la
lai
lao
lan
lang
 l-
z-
za
zai
zao
zan
zang
 z-
c-
ca
cai
cao
can
cang
 c-
s-
sa
sai
sao
san
sang
 s-
g-
ga
gai
gao
gan
gang
 g-
k-
ka
kai
kao
kan
kang
 k-
h-
ha
hai
hao
han
hang
 h-
-a -ai -ao -an -ang

Pinyin's Alternate "a" Vowel Sounds

The letter "a" in pinyin can actually make different sounds as well, when it is part of the "-ian" and "-üan" finals. Those sounds will be covered in later sections of this guide.

For now, let's move on to the "e" vowel.

Sources and further reading




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