Tough sounds -an-ang

The -an and -ang finals aren't too bad by themselves, but how they're pronounced can vary a bit depending on what comes before them. As always, practice is the answer! Practice the following words and phrases to be sure that you've got a good handle on these tough sounds.

Pronunciation Tips for -an-ang (A2)

You can read up on the "a" vowel and the "i" vowel if you need to, but one important thing to remember is that the "a" in "-an" and "-ian" (or "yan") are not the same "a" sound. When "i" is involved, the "a" sound in the final changes a bit.

Review your pinyin chart as needed to get clear on this difference.

Tough Sound Words: -an-ang (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
fan4dian4	饭店	fàndiàn	restauranthotel
kan4jian4	看见	kànjiàn	to see
dan4shi4	但是	dànshì	but
xian4zai4	现在	xiànzài	now, nowadays
ran2hou4	然后	ránhòu	and then
pang4	胖	pàng	fat, chubby
mang2	忙	máng	busy
fang2jian1	房间	fángjiān	room
dang1ran2	当然	dāngrán	of course, naturally
gang1gang1	刚刚	gānggāng	just a moment ago
shan1shang4	山上	shān shàng	on the mountain

Sources and further reading

A2 pronunciation points