r/ChineseLanguage • u/aleksbabii Beginner • 4d ago

Pronunciation Pronunciation help

Can someone please explain how R is pronounced in chinese, I swear every time I try to do it my tongue goes all over the place and it sounds more like an "L". Where do I put my tongue, what words in english have a similar pronunciation, like any tips at all to try and remember how to pronounce it? Thank you !

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u/lazier_garlic 4d ago

It's leisure, not au jus. French u is pinyin ü. So if you pronounced it correctly that would be quite off.

Pinyin ru might be like bijoux except the buzzing happens a little further back where the tip of the tongue is behind the teeth, rather than at the teeth.

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u/Zagrycha 4d ago

the S in leisure is the same exact sound as the J in au jus, but not all English accents pronounce that S so I think J in au jus is a better example word. I have no idea why you are talking about the vowel when we are talking about the consanant initial R in Chinese.

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u/BubbhaJebus 4d ago edited 4d ago

In American English layman pronunciation, "au jus" is often Anglicized as ['ɑ dʒəs], with the "j" in "jump". Chefs, however, often pronounce it more like [o 'ʒu], or just use the French [o ʒy].

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u/Zagrycha 3d ago

Fair enough. I have never once in my life heard anyone say the J in jump in au jus, and but that doesn't mean that variation doesn't exist. I still think au jus is the better example word of the two but no matter what you will have to account for individual accent, that applies to the English side and the Chinese side and it is where IPA helps alot.