Difference between revisions of "Erhua"

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Erhua can be confusing to beginners because it's slightly more complicated than simply adding an "[[-r]]" sound to the end of a syllable.
 
Erhua can be confusing to beginners because it's slightly more complicated than simply adding an "[[-r]]" sound to the end of a syllable.
  
# The character 儿 (ér) can be a syllable, as in the two-syllable word 儿子 (érzi), but erhua is not a syllable; it is pronounced as part of the syllable that it attaches to
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# The '''character''' 儿 (ér) can be a syllable, as in the two-syllable word 儿子 (érzi), but erhua is not a syllable; it is pronounced as part of the syllable that it comes after
# When you add erhua to the end of a syllable ending in [[-n]] or [[-ng]], you don't pronounce the [[-n]] or [[-ng]]; you pronounce the final [[-r]] sound instead
+
# When you add erhua to the end of a syllable ending in [[-n]] or [[-ng]], you don't pronounce the [[-n]] or [[-ng]] (even though you still write it); you pronounce the final [[-r]] sound instead
 
# The vowel sound of a syllable may change slightly with the addition of the erhua (e.g. "[[shi]] + [[-r]]" may sound kind of like "''shar''")
 
# The vowel sound of a syllable may change slightly with the addition of the erhua (e.g. "[[shi]] + [[-r]]" may sound kind of like "''shar''")
# Erhua can be written as 儿, but it doesn't need to be written to be pronounced (e.g. a southerner will generally pronounce 花 as "huā", but a Beijinger will pronounce it as "huār")
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# Erhua can be written as 儿, but it doesn't ''need'' to be written to be pronounced (e.g. a southerner will generally pronounce 花 as "huā", but a Beijinger will pronounce it as "huār")
  
 
== Common Examples of Erhua ==
 
== Common Examples of Erhua ==

Revision as of 10:00, 24 March 2015

Also known as: erization, 儿化 (érhuà) and 儿化音 (érhuàyīn).

"Erhua" refers to the addition of a final "-r" sound to a syllable in Mandarin. It is especially common in the Beijing dialect, but is also a feature of standard Chinese as well.

A Few Rules about Erhua

Erhua can be confusing to beginners because it's slightly more complicated than simply adding an "-r" sound to the end of a syllable.

  1. The character 儿 (ér) can be a syllable, as in the two-syllable word 儿子 (érzi), but erhua is not a syllable; it is pronounced as part of the syllable that it comes after
  2. When you add erhua to the end of a syllable ending in -n or -ng, you don't pronounce the -n or -ng (even though you still write it); you pronounce the final -r sound instead
  3. The vowel sound of a syllable may change slightly with the addition of the erhua (e.g. "shi + -r" may sound kind of like "shar")
  4. Erhua can be written as 儿, but it doesn't need to be written to be pronounced (e.g. a southerner will generally pronounce 花 as "huā", but a Beijinger will pronounce it as "huār")

Common Examples of Erhua

  • 花儿
  • 小鸟儿
  • 这儿
  • 那儿
  • 哪儿
  • 玩儿
  • 盖儿
  • 小孩儿
  • 好玩儿
  • 羊肉串儿
  • 生鱼片儿
  • 没事儿
  • 土豆儿
  • 馅儿
  • 小偷儿
  • 一半儿
  • 有点儿
  • 一点儿
  • 一会儿

Writing Erhua

For a few select words, it is customary to write out the erhua using the character 儿:

哪儿

Optional Erhua

For many other words, writing the 儿 is optional. Northerners will likely pronounce the following words, no matter whether it is written with or without the 儿.

Common Examples of Erhua

  • 花(儿)
  • 小鸟(儿)
  • 小孩(儿)
  • 好玩(儿)
  • 羊肉串(儿)
  • 生鱼片(儿)
  • 没事(儿)
  • 土豆(儿)
  • 小偷(儿)
  • 一半(儿)
  • 有点(儿)
  • 一点(儿)

Sources and further reading