In this pinyin lesson, we learn five compound finals, which are an, en, in, un, ün. We also learn some Chinese characters that use “an, en, in, un, ün”. In addition, you can get listening exercises and quizzes for an, en, in, un, ün.

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 an, en, in, un, ün

The final “un” is the short form of “uen”. Namely, “uen = un”.

The final “ün” is the short form of “üen”. Namely, “üen = ün”. The final “üen” is written as “un” (no ūmlaut) after j, q, x, or y. Namely, “jüen = jun”, “qüen = qun”, “xüen = xun”, and “yüen = yun”.

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. an: as an in “land”.

2. en: as en in “end”.

3. in: as ”in”.

4. un: as oon in “noon”.

5. ün: as “ü + n”.

Example Words

Example 1: Chinese Character: 看 Pinyin: kàn   English translation: look
Example 2: Chinese Character: 门 Pinyin: mén   English translation: door
Example 3: Chinese Character: 林 Pinyin: lín   English translation: forest
Example 4: Chinese Character: 棍 Pinyin: gùn   English translation: stick
Example 5: Chinese Character: 云 Pinyin: yún   English translation: cloud