Simple finals are pure vowels with no glides or codas. Each one is defined by a mouth shape and tongue height. If you lock those positions, the sound stays stable no matter which tone you add.

‘A' opens wide and low, ‘o' rounds forward, ‘e' relaxes the jaw with the tongue pulled back, ‘i' smiles, ‘u' puckers, and ‘ü' curls the lips while keeping the tongue high and front.

Tip: Mirror drill-hold each vowel for 3 seconds while watching your lips. If the shape shifts mid-tone, reset and slow down.

Practice: Blend the pure vowels with familiar characters to lock in muscle memory.

The er final is a single sound written as “er.” It is not the same as adding -r to a full syllable.

Keep the tongue slightly curled back and hold the vowel steady.

Ü is a front-rounded vowel. It sounds different from u even though the spelling drops the dots after j/q/x/y.

Think “ee” tongue position with rounded lips. Compare lü (旅) vs lu (路).