大家好！Hi everyone! I have a question about Chinese pronunciation of the pinyin sound “yi.”

Sometimes I hear the “yi” sound very strongly like the sound of “一” in Chinese, but other times I hear people pronouncing it like a “e” or “u” sound in pinyin.

For example, sometimes I hear 电影 as “dian ying” while other times I hear it as something closer to “dian young.” Same thing with 英文: sometimes I hear it as “ying wen” but other times I hear the pronunciation of it as something similar to “young wen.”

What is the correct way to say the sound? If there are multiple ways, when should I say which? I appreciate any help! 谢谢你们！

Question

大家好！Hi everyone! I have a question about Chinese pronunciation of the pinyin sound “yi.”

Sometimes I hear the “yi” sound very strongly like the sound of “一” in Chinese, but other times I hear people pronouncing it like a “e” or “u” sound in pinyin.

For example, sometimes I hear 电影 as “dian ying” while other times I hear it as something closer to “dian young.” Same thing with 英文: sometimes I hear it as “ying wen” but other times I hear the pronunciation of it as something similar to “young wen.”

What is the correct way to say the sound? If there are multiple ways, when should I say which? I appreciate any help! 谢谢你们！

Answer

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Answer

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Answer

电影， Standard pronunciation is 'dian ying'.
someone might say 'dian yin', or 'dian yier',or 'dian young'  It's okay.
 just like 'what ur u doing'.-doin, -dwin, in English.

Answer

When you say dianying, try not to move your tone and your lips. Because the main vowel is “I”, just keep your mouth like you’re smiling.
You hear like young because some people pronounce  ng very hard, this syllable has influenced by their’s dialect pronounce.

Answer

I feel your pain. I highly recommend checking out chinesefor.us. There is a fantastic pronunciation series there. I don’t work for them or get commission, but I ended up solving most of my pronunciation questions there.

It sounds like you might be hearing regional differences. The “young” in 电影 is very northern, and “standard” Mandarin. It’s pronounced like ee-ung. But others will say “ying” like it’s pronounced in English. I’ve heard a lot of Chinese can’t differentiate between these sounds very well, so you might also be hearing fluctuations that Chinese speakers don’t notice (like b and v in Spanish).

Good luck! 加油！