Tough sounds -ü-u

Those two dots make a difference, but sometimes they're "stealth." Learning your pinyin syllables, and then practice the following words and phrases to be sure that you've got a good handle on these tough sounds.

Pronunciation Tips for -ü-u (A2)

First, you need to know when you're dealing with a "stealth ü" (the two dots are not written, but are pronounced. If you're not clear on this, read up on the "ü" vowel.

Finally, a reminder (from that same page) on how to pronounce "ü":

To make pinyin's "ü" sound, make the pinyin "yi" sound (or the English "ee" sound), and then slowly round your lips. That's all there is to it! Your tongue needs to stay tense like it is when you make the "yi" sound, but your lips must be rounded. If you're having trouble making the sound, it's probably because you let your tongue relax. (The tongue is totally relaxed when you make an English "oo" sound, but you need it to stay tense, like it is for the "ee" sound.)

If you're still not used to making the "ü" sound, they're you're really going to need to go slowly at first. Increase speed only when you can do so without sacrificing accurate pronunciation.

Tough Sound Words: -ü-u (A2)

The words in the following table are designed to give you a good pronunciation workout. Practice them on your own and practice them with your teacher.

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
nv3er2	女儿	nǚ’ér	daughter
nv3ren2	女人	nǚrén	woman
nv3hai2	女孩	nǚhái	girl
chu1qu4	出去	chūqù	to go out
xiao3qu1	小区	xiǎoqū	neighborhood, apartment complex
xu1yao4	需要	xūyào	to need
ye3xu3	也许	yěxǔ	perhaps, maybe
xia4yu3	下雨	xiàyǔ	to rain
yu2rou4	鱼肉	yú ròu	fish "meat"

If these are too easy for you, don't forget that we also have these same sounds at a more challenging intermediate (B1) level.

Sources and further reading

More sources and other links coming soon...

A2 pronunciation points