Learn Chinese Pinyin in 21 Days – Day 12: Finals, ie, üe, er

In this pinyin lesson, we learn three compound finals, which are ie, üe, er. We also learn some Chinese characters that use “ie, üe, er”. In addition, you can get listening exercises and quizzes for ie, üe, er.

Finals

Finals are all possible combinations of semivowels coming before the vowel, the nucleus vowel, and final vowel.
There are 14 compound finals (复韵母) and 14 nasal finals (鼻韵母).

Compound finals: ai, ei, ui; ao, ou, iu; ie, üe; er; ia, iao; ua, uo, uai
Nasal finals: an, en; in, un, ün; ang, eng, ing, ong; ian, iang, iong; uan, uang

Pronunciation Guide for ie, üe, er

The following guide is given in terms of English pronunciation. They are approximate, as there are some sounds of Pinyin do not correspond directly to sounds in English.

1. ie: as ye in “yes”.

 

2. üe: as ‘ü + e”. Nothing close in English.

 

3. er: as ar in “bar”.

 

Example Words

Example 1: Chinese Character: 蝶 Pinyin: dié   English translation: butterfly
Example 2: Chinese Character: 月 Pinyin: yuè   English translation: moon
Example 3: Chinese Character: 耳 Pinyin: ěr   English translation: ear