Pinyin final: "ou1"

Mouth Mechanics (step-by-step)

The final ou1 is a two-part glide: it starts like a rounded “o” and then moves toward “u/oo”.

1. Relax your jaw and open your mouth a little (not wide like “ah”).
2. Round your lips into a medium “O” shape—imagine you’re about to say “oh.”
3. Keep your tongue relaxed and low-mid in the mouth (don’t bunch it up like English “r”).
4. Start voicing a steady “o” sound, then smoothly tighten the lip rounding as you finish.
5. As you finish, pull the lips slightly forward (as if to say “oo”), but don’t change it into a full separate syllable.
6. For tone 1, keep the pitch high and level for the whole sound (no dip, no slide).

A useful physical feeling: one continuous vowel that “narrows” at the end, rather than two clearly separated vowels.

English Approximation (what to copy and how to adjust)

English doesn’t match this perfectly, because many English “o” sounds are colored by accent and can drift toward “ow” (with extra movement). Still, you can get close:

• “go” (American English): use the vowel in “go”, but make it shorter and cleaner, and don’t let it turn into a big “ow.”
• “toe”: use the vowel in “toe”, focusing on the first, steady part; then add only a small narrowing at the end.
• “so”: copy the “so” vowel, but keep it more even and less dramatic.

Important adjustment: In English, many speakers end “go/toe/so” with an obvious glide. For ou, the glide exists, but it’s typically more controlled and smoother, with less “w” feeling than a strong English “oh” in some accents.

Common Mistakes (English-speaker traps)

• Making it “ow” like “cow.” That English sound starts with a more open vowel (closer to “ah”) and then moves to “oo.” ou does not start that open.
• Adding an extra syllable: saying something like “oh-oo.” It should be one continuous vowel, not two beats.
• Letting the tongue tense up or adding an English “r” color (especially after certain initials). Keep the vowel clean and forward.
• Tone drift: for ou1, don’t let pitch fall at the end. Keep it high and flat.

Practice Pairs (Pinyin vs. English cue)

These English words are pronunciation cues, not translations. Focus only on the underlined sound.

Comparisons & caveats (similar sounds to watch out for)

A) ou vs. English “ow” (as in “cow”)

• English “ow” usually starts more open (closer to “a” in “father”) and then glides to “oo.”
• Chinese ou starts already rounded and more “o-like,” then glides slightly toward “u.”

Result: If you say “cow” quality, your starting vowel is too open.

B) ou vs. o in Pinyin (where “o” appears alone or in “-ong/-uo” patterns)

• ou is a clear glide ending toward “u/oo.”
• A plain o in other contexts can feel more stable (less of a glide) depending on the syllable pattern.

Tip: For ou, always feel that gentle narrowing at the end.

C) ou after different initials: the final stays the same

The provided syllables (e.g., mou1, dou1, tou1, lou1, kou1, gou1, hou1, zou1, sou1, zhou1, chou1, shou1) all share the same ou core. The initial consonant changes, but the vowel target should remain consistent:

• Keep the same rounded start and the same small “oo” narrowing at the end.
• Don’t let certain initials “pull” your vowel into an English habit (for example, making shou1 sound like English “show” with a big diphthong).

D) Caveat: you1 / diu1 / niu1 / liu1 / jiu1 / qiu1 / xiu1

These syllables include a y-like glide before ou (you can hear/feel a brief “y” leading into the same ou). The ou part is still the same target, but:

• Start with a quick “y” connection (like the beginning of “yes”), then immediately round into ou.
• Avoid turning it into two syllables (“yoh-oo”). It’s still one smooth syllable with a lead-in glide.