Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

How do we write when a syllable starting with i u and ü?

How do we write when a syllable starting with i u and ü?
When a syllable starting with i u and ü, we should add a initial Y or W for them when we write. Rules as follows.

  • When a syllable consists of i in ing only, y must be added in front of i.
    i — yi
    in—yin
    ing—ying
  • When a syllable consists of ia ie iao ian iang iong only, the final i should be replaced by y.
    ia—ya
    ie—ye
    iao—yao
  • When ü is located at the beginning of a syllable, y must be added in front of ü and the two dots on ü must be removed.
    ü —yu
  • When a syllable consists of “u” only, “w” must be added in front of “u”.
    u—wu
  • When u is located at the beginning of a syllable that carries more than one vowel, ”u”must be replaced by w.
    uo—wo
    uang—wang

Tips for reading: when you see “W”, you read “u”, when you see “Y” before “u”, you read them together as “ü”. When you see “Y” before other finals, you read it as “i”.

© Shanghai International Studies University
This article is from the free online

Learn Chinese: Introduction to Chinese Pronunciation and Tone

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now