Pinyin initial: "bu"

Mouth Mechanics (step-by-step)

1. Get ready for a “b/p” closure: Bring your lips together firmly (like you’re about to say English b or p).
2. Keep your voice OFF at the moment of release: As you open your lips, don’t start vibrating your vocal cords immediately. This makes the sound come out like a very light “p”, not a strong English “p.”
3. Do NOT add a strong puff of air: Let the air out gently. The release should feel controlled, not explosive.
4. Go straight into “u” (oo): Immediately round your lips into a small circle (like “oo” in “food”).
5. Keep the vowel steady and pure: Your tongue stays fairly relaxed and back in the mouth; don’t let the vowel drift into “yoo” or “uh.”
6. Add the tone on the whole syllable: The consonant is quick; the tone rides mostly on the vowel.

English Approximation (what to listen for)

Chinese bu is pronounced with an initial that is closer to an unaspirated “p” than to a typical English “b.” English does not use this sound as a main category, but you can get very close.

• “spin” → the “p” in spin is soft and not strongly puffed.
  • Use that soft “p” quality, but without turning it into a full English “p.”
• “spoon” → the “p” in spoon is also less airy than in poon (a made-up emphasized “p”).
  • Think: sp- gives you the right “not too puffy” feeling.
• “boo” → the vowel “oo” in boo matches the u in bu fairly well.
  • Keep it shorter and cleaner than a dramatic Halloween “booo!”

How to modify English to match Chinese:
Say “boo”, but replace the English b with the soft p feeling from “spin”. That combination is very close to bu.

Common Mistakes (English speakers)

• Mistake 1: Pronouncing it like a fully voiced English “b.”
  English b usually has immediate voicing. In Mandarin bu, the start is typically not voiced the same way; it’s closer to a light, unpuffed “p.”
• Mistake 2: Adding a big puff of air (aspiration).
  Don’t make it like the p in pin (which is strongly airy). bu should feel tight and controlled, not breathy.
• Mistake 3: Turning the vowel into “byoo” or “buh.”
  Keep u = “oo” (rounded lips), not “you” and not “uh.”
• Mistake 4: Overholding the consonant.
  The lip-release is quick; the tone belongs to the vowel.

Practice Pairs (visualizing the feel)

(The English words are approximations: you are borrowing the “soft p” feeling from sp- and the vowel quality from oo.)

Comparisons & caveats (similar Mandarin sounds)

• bu (b-) vs. pu (p-): same lip position, different airflow.
  Both start with closed lips. The key difference is air:
  • b- in Mandarin (as in bu) is unaspirated: little to no puff.
  • p- in Mandarin (as in pu) is aspirated: a clear puff of air after the release.
    Quick test: Hold a thin tissue in front of your lips. pu should flutter it noticeably more than bu.
• bu vs. English “b”: don’t chase “buzz.”
  English b often feels “heavier” and more voiced at the start. Mandarin bu begins more like a clean, quiet lip pop—then the vowel carries the sound.
• bu vs. “bo/bu” confusion (u vs. o):
  The vowel in bu is u = “oo”, with tight lip rounding. Don’t let it open toward “oh” (that would sound more like a different vowel category).