| | Vowels |
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| IPA | Pinyin | Wade–Giles | Bopomofo | Chinese example | English approximation |
|---|
| a | a | ㄚ，ㄢ | 阿，安 | cat | | er | êrh | ㄦ | 二，兒（儿） | | ɑ | yang/-iang | ㄤ | 阳 | car | | ɛ | yan/-ian | yen/-ien | ㄧㄢ | 言 | set | | yuan/-üan | ㄩㄢ | 元 | | e | ye/-ie, yue/-üe | eh | ㄝ | 也，月 | hey | | ə | en,[d] eng | ên, êng | ㄣ，ㄥ | 本，冷 | atop | | ɚ | er | êrh | ㄦ | 二，兒（儿） | fern[e] | | ɤ | e | ê / o[f] | ㄜ | 厄 | between boot and but | | i | yi/-i | ㄧ | 李 | city | | o | wo/-uo[g]/-ou | o[h] | ㄛ | 果，狗 | go, but without lip rounding | | ɻ̩ | zhi, chi, shi, ri | ih | ㄭ[i] | 之，吃，師（师），日 | Below, but with tongue curled or pulled back[j] | | ɹ̩ | zi, ci, si | ŭ | 子，次，私 | roses, cousin | | u | wu/-u | ㄨ | 土 | cool | | ʊ | -ong | -ung | ㄨㄥ，ㄩㄥ | 冬，用 | book | | y | yu/-ü[c] | yü/-ü | ㄩ | 雨 | beet, but with the lips rounded as for boot | | Diphthongs |
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| aɪ | ai | ㄞ | 艾 | time | | aʊ | ao | ㄠ | 凹 | cow | | eɪ | ei[d] | ㄟ | 杯 | face | | oʊ | ou[d] | ㄡ | 歐（欧） | show |
| Tones |
|---|
| IPA | Pinyin | Wade–Giles | Bopomofo | Chinese example | Tone number | Description |
|---|
| á | ā | a1 | ㄚ | ⓘ | tone 1 | high level [˥] | | ǎ | á | a2 | ㄚˊ | ⓘ | tone 2 | mid rising [˧˥] | | à | ǎ | a3 | ㄚˇ | ⓘ | tone 3 | medially, low [˩]; initially, mid falling [˧˩]; finally, low rising [˩˧]; in isolation, dipping [˧˩˧] | | â | à | a4 | ㄚˋ | ⓘ | tone 4 | high falling [˥˩] | | a | a | a0 | ˙ㄚ | ⓘ | tone 0 or 5
(toneless) | mid [˧] after all tones but 4, where it is low [˩] | | Note: Pinyin uses three of the same diacritics as IPA but with different values. |
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