How to pronounce 大哥 (dà gē)

How to pronounce ü in Chinese

Learn how Mandarin ü differs from plain u, with lip rounding cues and high-frequency example words.

去年 (qù nián)

Keep qù narrow and forward so the rounded vowel does not fall back into a plain u.

女儿 (nǚ ér)

Keep the tongue forward for nǚ while rounding the lips gently.

绿色 (lǜ sè)

The lǜ syllable should stay bright and rounded instead of falling back into lu.

我喝绿茶。 (wǒ hē lǜ chá.)

The target is lǜ, which needs rounded lips and a forward tongue at the same time.

路很长。 (lù hěn cháng.)

Keep the vowel in 路很长。 (lù hěn cháng.) rounded and forward instead of letting it fall back to a plain u.

路很大。 (lù hěn dà.)

Keep the vowel in 路很大。 (lù hěn dà.) rounded and forward instead of letting it fall back to a plain u.