Pinyin finals

Goals

• Produce simple vowels a o e i u ü
• Build compound finals ai ei ao ou and nasal endings
• Distinguish an/ang and en/eng by ear
• Handle i/u/ü head compounds used in common words
• Connect finals to real beginner vocabulary

Simple finals

Start with a o e i u ü. Mandarin e and ü need audio models; do not guess from English.

ü is like French u / German ü: say ee and round the lips.

Stable simple finals make compounds easier.

Compound finals

ai ei ao ou are common. Keep both parts, but do not stretch them into English diphthongs carelessly.

ao appears in 好 hǎo; ou appears in 有 related spellings and 手 shǒu.

Practice with tones from the first week.

Nasal finals

an en ang eng ong are high-frequency. ang/eng ring more in the nose/back than an/en.

Minimal pairs help: 山 shān vs 商 shāng ideas later; for now contrast clear an vs ang on familiar words.

ong appears in 中 zhōng and 同 tóng.

i/u/ü compounds

Compounds like ia iao ian iang iong and ua uo uai ui uan uang are built from a medial + final.

ü compounds include üe üan ün (spelled ye/yuan/yun or with jqx as ue).

Learn them with words: 家 jiā, 点 diǎn, 水 shuǐ, 月 yuè.

From chart to speech

Use the pinyin builder for forty-plus common syllables, then say a real word for each.

If a final feels unstable, slow down and remove the initial first.

Finals + tones together create recognizable words.

Takeaways

• Master simple finals before stacking hard compounds.
• Nasal endings need listening contrast, not only reading.
• Always practice finals with tones.
• Attach each new final to a word you will reuse.

Quick check