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.

Pinyin (Tone 3)	Approx. English anchor	What to copy	What to change
ou3	“oh!”	lip rounding + “oh” quality	shorten it; add Tone 3 dip
ou3	“go”	the vowel in “go”	cleaner/less drawl; add Tone 3 dip
ou3	“so”	the vowel in “so”	lighter final glide; add Tone 3 dip
shou3	“show”	“sho-” vowel shape	don’t over-stretch; keep tone dip
zou3	“zo-” (as in “zodiac,” first syllable)	rounded “oh” start	add quick glide; add Tone 3 dip

---

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.