Pinyin final: "ou3"

Mouth Mechanics (Final -ou with Tone 3)

Use these steps for ou3 (the final -ou plus the third tone):

1. Start neutral: Jaw relaxed, tongue resting comfortably in the middle of your mouth (not pulled back).
2. Make a pure “o” shape: Round your lips into a small “O,” like you’re about to say oh—but keep it controlled, not exaggerated.
3. Begin with the “o” vowel: Your voice starts on an “o” sound (similar to the vowel in go for many American speakers).
4. Glide to a short “u/w” ending: Without changing the tongue dramatically, let the sound naturally slide toward a brief “oo/w” off-glide (like the very end of go). This ending is quick—don’t make a separate full “oo” syllable.
5. Add Tone 3 (the dipping tone): Start mid, dip lower, then rise. In normal conversation, the “rise” is often small—focus on a clear dip and controlled finish rather than an exaggerated “roller coaster.”

Key feeling: one smooth vowel that moves (o → a quick u/w-like finish), not two separate vowels.

English Approximation (and how to adjust it)

English doesn’t have an exact match because English “oh” often turns into a longer, more complex vowel. You can get close if you keep it short and steady.

• “go” — Use the vowel in go.
  Match: the main “oh” part.
  Adjust: make it shorter and cleaner, with only a light glide at the end (don’t “drawl” it).
• “so” — Use the vowel in so.
  Match: the same “oh → slight w” feeling.
  Adjust: avoid a dramatic lip movement; keep the glide subtle.
• “oh!” (an interjection) — Use the sound in oh**!
  **Match: the basic mouth shape.
  Adjust: reduce emotional/exaggerated length; keep it crisp and controlled.

Tone note: English examples don’t include the Tone 3 dip. Say the English-like “oh,” but place it on a dipping pitch contour.

Common Mistakes (English-speaker traps)

• Making it two vowels (“o-oo”): ou is one smooth sound with a quick glide, not “oh + oo.”
• Over-drawing the “oh”: English “oh” can be long and “twangy.” Chinese ou should feel clean and compact.
• Turning it into “ow” (as in cow): That English “ow” starts with a more open “a” sound. Chinese ou starts closer to oh, not ah.
• Ignoring Tone 3: If you keep a flat pitch, it won’t sound like ou3. You need the dip (and a controlled recovery).

Practice Pairs (visual anchors)

These English words are approximations to help you aim your mouth shape and glide.

Comparisons & Caveats (similar Pinyin to watch)

A) ou vs. English “ow” (as in now)

• English “ow” usually starts more like “ah” and then glides up.
• Pinyin -ou starts closer to “oh” and then glides briefly to a light u/w ending.

Rule of thumb: if it sounds like cow, you’ve drifted away from -ou.

B) ou vs. uo (spelled -uo after some initials)

• -ou is a single glide ending in a brief u/w-like finish.
• -uo has a clearer “u” coloring before the “o” portion (it feels more like wuh-oh compressed, depending on the syllable).

Rule of thumb: -ou feels like oh → (quick) w, while -uo feels more like w + oh.

C) ou vs. iu (as in niu3, liu3, jiu3, qiu3, xiu3)

Syllables like niu3 / liu3 / jiu3 / qiu3 / xiu3 have a y-like glide before -ou (you can feel a quick “y” movement at the start).

• ou3: starts directly on “oh” (no y-sound at the beginning).
• niu3 / liu3 / jiu3 / qiu3 / xiu3: start with a fast “y” glide (like the start of yes), then go into the same -ou ending.

Rule of thumb: if you hear/feel a “y” at the beginning, it’s not plain ou.

D) Same final -ou, different initials (keep -ou stable)

In pou3, mou3, fou3, lou3, gou3, kou3, hou3, chou3, zou3, zhou3, shou3, sou3, dou3, tou3, the final -ou stays essentially the same; what changes is the consonant at the front.
Goal: don’t let the initial “pull” the vowel into something else—keep the rounded ‘oh’ start and the quick glide consistent across all of them.