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Chinese language and culture. Dictionary, pinyin, abacus and other tidbits.
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Final (Ending) Sounds:
The finals connect with the Intitial sounds to create the one syllable words that are the basis of the Chinese language.
Although all Chinese words are one syllable, they are often combined to create terms made from several words.
-a (as in father)
-an (like the sounds of "John" or "ahn")
-ang (like the sound of "an" above (ahng) with the addition of "g")
-ai (as in "high")
-ao (as in "how")
-ar (as in "bar")
-o (like "aw")
-ou (like the "ow" in "low")
-ong (like the "ung" in "jungle" with a slight "oo" sound)
-e (sounds like "uh")
-en (like "un" in "under")
-eng (like the "ung" in "lung")
-ei (like a long "a" or the "ei" in "eight")
-er (like the "er" in "herd")
-i (like a long "e" or the "i" in "machine")
-in (as in "bin")
-ing (like "sing")
-u (like the "oo" in "loop")
-un (as in "fun")
Putting It All Together (Initial and Final Sounds):
Try some of these words. You can refer to the individual "Intitial" and "Final" descriptions above if you need. Also, these words are used as examples in our phrases popup page (see link below)
Ni (sounds like "knee")
Hao (sounds like "how" with a little more aspiration)
Dong (sounds like "doong")
Qi (sounds like "chee")
Gong (sounds like "gung")
Tai (sounds like "tie")
Ji (sounds like "gee")
Quan (sounds like "chwan")
Samples of Chinese Phrases
Note that when several words are put together, the meanings often change considerably. For instance "Ni" means "you" and "Hao" means "good", yet "Ni Hao" means "Hello". This particular translation occurs because, in China, a greeting is often the question "Are you well?", which uses the words "you and good". A study of the culture helps one understand many of these phrases which seem to translate strangely to our Western minds. Another greeting is "Have you eaten?", which is often used when greeting someone while at home.
Romanization Converter
Chinese-English Dictionary
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