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Lesson Transcript

Hi everyone.
Welcome to The Ultimate Cantonese Pronunciation Guide.
In this lesson, you'll learn all the Cantonese vowels and their variant vowel sounds.
aa
e
i
o
u
oe
yu
With these sounds, you can pronounce any vowel that could possibly appear in Cantonese!
Some vowels may be hard to distinguish, especially for English speakers, so make sure you listen carefully!
Remember that memorizing and reproducing the sound is the goal. Don't get too frustrated if you forget when to use the variant sounds, because that'll come naturally later.
Are you ready?
Then let's get started!
The first vowel is...
aa
沙 (saa1)
巴 (baa1)
生 (saang1)
This is almost identical to the A sound in the word 'far'.
aa, aa (slowly)
aa, aa (slowly)
The next vowel is...
e
啤 (be1)
啡 (fe1)
遮 (ze1)
This is similar to the E in 'bear'.
e, e (slowly)
e, e (slowly)
The next vowel is...
i
試 (si3)
翅 (ci3)
至 (zi3)
It's identical to the I in 'ski'.
i, i (slowly)
i, i (slowly)
The next vowel is...
o
播 (bo3)
火 (fo2)
佐 (zo3)
It's identical to the O in 'ore'. However, there should be more of a vibration at the base of your throat.
o, o (slowly)
o, o (slowly)
The next vowel is...
u
呼 (fu1)
姑 (gu1)
箍 (ku1)
It's identical to the U in the word 'true'.
u, u (slowly)
u, u (slowly)
The next vowel is... oe
靴 (hoe1)
朵 (doe2)
鋸 (goe3)
This sound doesn't exist in English, but it's very similar to the U in the word 'fur'. Be sure to compress your lips.
oe, oe (slowly)
oe, oe (slowly)
The final vowel sound is...
yu
注 (zyu3)
處 (cyu2)
恕 (syu3)
This sound doesn't exist in English, but it's similar to the U in the word 'menu'. First, try saying an 'ee' like 'see'. Now try rounding your lips while pronouncing this sound. Listen to (host name).
yu, yu (slowly)
yu, yu (slowly)
Well done! You've just learned all the vowel sounds in Cantonese.
In the next lesson, you'll start learning consonant sounds.
Which vowel sound was the most difficult for you to learn? Please comment and share your thoughts.
See you in the next Ultimate Cantonese Pronunciation Guide lesson!

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