<p>The right pronunciation should sound like "ahn". The English pronunciation of "an" sounds wrong in Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T02:04:41.447Z
The "ah" part should sound slightly strained, and not like the "o" sound in "dog".
Jason Chen
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T02:03:00.103Z
2014-05-16T02:03:00.103Z
jchen76201
<p>The pronunciation and/or images of the <code>an</code> sound of the teachers from Zhejiang might well be influenced by their dialectal mother tongue. In Zhejiang dialects, at least in that spoken in Hangzhou, where Zhejiang University is located, many <code>an</code> sounds are pronounced closer to the English <code>an</code> as in <code>an apple</code> than their  Mandarin equivalents.</p>

<p>Some examples from Phonemica, a site collecting samples of Chinese dialects:</p>

<p><a href="http://phonemica.net/entry/353" rel="nofollow">http://phonemica.net/entry/353</a>
The <code>板</code> in <code>銅板</code> at 00:09 and elsewhere</p>

<p><a href="http://phonemica.net/entry/368" rel="nofollow">http://phonemica.net/entry/368</a>
The <code>饭</code> in <code>中饭</code> at 00:12</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T03:29:27.627Z
2014-05-16T03:29:27.627Z
null
<p>I am a Madanrin native speaker, and I pronounce pinyin an in the exactly same way as <strong>un</strong> in lunch.</p>

<p>So for me 饭 is pronounced exactly same as <strong>fun</strong> in "Have fun."</p>

<p>While 烦 is pronounced exactly same as <strong>fun</strong> in "Did you have fun?" Because fun is the last word in that sentence, its tone is raised, making it sound exactly same as 烦 or 凡 or 繁.</p>

<p>So the following pairs are pronounced exactly same:</p>

<p>办 BUN, 畔 PUN, 饭 FUN 蛋 DUN, 难(nàn) NUN, 干(gàn) GUN, 汉 HUN, 散(sàn) SUN.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:20:02.753Z
Presumably you're not a native _english_ speaker though... I pronounce the mandarin as [/a/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_front_unrounded_vowel) and the english short-u as [/ʌ/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_back_unrounded_vowel). Although there is variation within both languages, this distinction is normatively correct, relative to "standard" pronunciations. See: [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English) and [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Mandarin).
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:47:33.697Z
```an``` in Chinese Mandarin in no way could be the same as ```un``` in lunch in pronunciation .
j5shi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-27T12:49:31.043Z
@j5shi well, if you do like most italians speaking english do and mispronounce `un` as /an/ instead of /ʌn/ which is the english accent, well, then yes, mandarin `an` and english `un` are the same. As OP noted, though, it is incorrect to pronounce them the same, since `an` is more front than `un`.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-28T14:32:29.310Z
"though, it is incorrect to pronounce them the same, ..." -- that's exactly what I mean, what I mean is the difference between the pronunciation, as my last post noted.
j5shi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T23:32:29.703Z
2014-05-15T23:41:15.470Z
2014-05-15T23:41:15.470Z
孤影萍踪
<p>there's a <a href="http://wenku.baidu.com/link?url=uNo_Jo7H7qmOcS-tgnL4HT-evvfkJXh8mbW4ySVrLy9xEwKE3kKgMrumGeUppwPE1lw5yDV_qibDZe1yFtRMhM6WHrEvecwexeBig2xC1CC" rel="nofollow">script</a> from a Chinese teacher, which explained your confusion.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:20:47.583Z
Hi, would you be able to summarise in-answer? If the link dies in the future, this answer becomes meaningless. Thanks!
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:57:05.943Z
@Ming, you should always remember that in Chinese Mandarin ```an``` should be pronounced as ```un``` in English, though you said ```"... the first camp, while pronouncing 办 with the English "an"...```, if ```an``` in 办 is pronounced as ```an``` in English, then 办 should be pronounced as 奔, but they are different and I suppose you know the difference. So remember, an (Chinese) == un (English), and en (Chinese) == an (English). Do you have any other cases which you think ```an``` should be pronounced as ```an``` in English?
j5shi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T01:48:04.003Z
Hmm I think you might be getting a different idea of the "an" in "an apple" and "un" in "that was fun" that I've been trying to describe, because they definitely aren't the same as "en" in 奔, either of them.
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T01:54:23.733Z
"an" in "an apple" is the same as "en" in 奔 in pronunciation.
j5shi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T02:48:59.713Z
@j5shi I suggest you listen to the [British English "an"](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/an_5). As many Chinese students learn American English, probably you presuppose the only weak sound **/ən/** image in your mind, but that's not very true to every case.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-17T14:08:15.643Z
@Stan thanks, I listened and you are right. Now I think probably I know why @Ming get confused, his friends and teachers might not pointed out in which English the ```an``` in "an apple"  it is. And my answer now is that:  
"an" in "an apple" in American English is the same as "en" in 奔 in pronunciation.
j5shi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T07:11:49.487Z
2014-05-15T07:11:49.487Z
j5shi
<p>Indeed, the phonetic alphabet is a tool you use for each speaker and speaker, and it is also very important to know that subjective ways of teaching are the rule. Some of my teachers say quinzi, the others qunzi as mandarin standard. The individual or collective differences are not something the speaker is always aware of. The teacher is part of a process of "idealization" of his own language. Sometimes, your ears are right, but your brain does not translate it right. The last drill on the Net "yanni-lionel" is one of those problems, phoneticians have to cope with: the spectrum of sounds delimitation is tricky. Both might be right and the answer is not the one, but both. bun and ban, you can use forvo or university of main databases for these different pronunciations.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-21T08:12:03.867Z
2018-05-21T08:12:03.867Z
Emmanuel Doubchak
<p>For me, the <code>a</code> in Chinese pinyin sounds like the <code>a</code> in <code>father</code>.(It's same as the Italian pronunciation of vowel <code>a</code> too) The <code>an</code> in Chinese sounds like the <code>an</code> in <code>fantastic</code>. Hope that helps! :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:33:46.183Z
"The an in Chinese sounds like the an in fantastic" You should declare it's in British English.
Stan
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2014-05-16T05:31:40.430Z
I don't really know the difference between British English and American english but I've been learning British English. So i guess you're right ;P
Sue
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-27T12:46:50.820Z
`a` in `father` is back. For me, `a` in Chinese is central, as in Italian. `fantastic` has an `an` pronounced either /æn/ (if stressed) or /ən/ (when not). In Chinese, `an` should be /an/. /ǝn/ is more like `en` in `fen`. /æn/ is not Chinese, though some speakers may front it like that.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T18:52:13.073Z
2014-05-15T18:52:13.073Z
Sue
<p>To answer your question, we need a little basic phonetics: A vowel has two main attributes -- how open your mouth is when you are making the sound, and whether the sound is made at the front of the mouth or at the back. For example, FLEE vowel is close and front, FLU vowel is close and back. BAN vowel is open (more open than BET, which is more open than FLEE) and front, START vowel is open and back. The FUN vowel is usually in the mid of the mouth, but not as open as START.</p>

<p>The BAN vowel is more open in some accents in England than in the general American accent. As Stan has found, the vowel in <a href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban" rel="nofollow">http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban</a> is front and very open, more open than the same vowel in American accent.</p>

<p>Now, regarding your original question what 'more central' means, it means that you open your mouth as wide(open) as the BAN vowel in the audio clip above, but move the tongue position a bit towards the back. As a side note, the standard mandarin accent uses a mid vowel in pinyin <code>ban</code>, while the Taiwanese accent uses a fronter variant (just like the BAN vowel in the audio clip).  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-17T15:17:25.047Z
2014-05-17T15:17:25.047Z
user58955
<p>I have had eight mainland Chinese teachers over the time I have spent studying, and I am <strong>still</strong> confused, because I find there are inconsistencies between my textbook's audio CDs, my teachers' explanations, and what I typically hear people say. I don't know how to read IPA so please bear with me.</p>

<p>In some audio CDs, and most of my teachers, they agree that "an" should be pronounced like the English "an" (e.g. an apple) and <strong>not</strong> like the English "un" (e.g. that was fun) and I <em>do</em> often hear it for cases such as "怎么办？" and "赶得到". They also tell me it's the same for 换 and 言 etc. (just not for 天 as "ian" is a different rule.)</p>

<p>However, the disagreement stems from others telling me it <strong>should</strong> be the English "un", and there are resources that also show this (I read through <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/1740/pinyin-tones-pronunciation-cheat-sheet">Pinyin tones pronunciation cheat sheet</a> and listened to the accompanying links <a href="http://lost-theory.org/chinese/phonetics/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://lost-theory.org/chinese/phonetics/</a> and <a href="http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation</a>, which follows this rule.)</p>

<p>I do also notice that some of the teachers in the first camp, while pronouncing 办 with the English "an", seem to pronounce 看 with the English "un". Not all of them, however. This makes things very confusing.</p>

<p>I have broken my pronunciation habits once and switched from the first camp to the second camp, and now am wondering if I should have done that, and if I should actually be switching back.</p>

<p>Can anybody clarify this?</p>

<p>(Note: The teachers that were staunchly in the second camp also pronounced "iu" as English "ew", not like the "iou" that it should be (就 etc.,) but I don't know if that's enough to disregard their arguments for what is considered correct pronunciation.)</p>

<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#Pronunciation_of_finals" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wiki article on pinyin</a> claims:</p>

<pre><code>an  [än]    an  like British English "ban", but more central
</code></pre>

<p>Not ... entirely sure what "but more central" means, but going by the <a href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Macmillan Dictionary audio sample for ban</a> and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53IeAFaBCXc&amp;t=14m51s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CCTV link @Stan commented with</a> it doesn't sound like the "an" in "an apple" <strong>nor</strong> does it sound like the "un" in "that was fun", but it sounds somewhere in between the two, what I'm thinking at the moment is that it sounds like the "an" in "hand".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T03:08:41.857Z
`they agree that "an" should be pronounced like the English "an" (e.g. an apple)` I've never heard a native Chinese speaker pronounces pinyin `an` as "an in *an apple*". I doubt they meant the phonetic symbol /an/ where /a/ is a short "ah" sound -- if so, that makes sense.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T03:42:56.807Z
@Stan hmm, I have, especially with something like 怎么办？-- or do my ears deceive me? Also, if it explains anything, quite a few of my teachers are from 浙江, because of the sister-relationship my 孔子学院 has with 浙江大学. Teachers/other native speakers with contrasting opinions have been from 黑龙江, 江苏, 广东.
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T04:06:02.037Z
新闻联播 is a credible source for learning pronunciation. Try this video on Youtube (14:51-14:53): ["三天内 **办** 结所需手续"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53IeAFaBCXc&t=14m51s). What does you hear? /ban/, /bən/, /bæn/, or /bʌn/? To me, the pinyin `bàn` sounds like /ban/.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T04:32:22.667Z
I think I've listened to it 50 times -_- I hear not quite the "an" from "an apple" but not quite the "un" from "that was fun" either -- rather something in between the two! "an apple" is quite nasal, "that was fun" is coming from low in the throat. What I hear is not so nasal, but not so low in the throat either.
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T08:19:04.063Z
In some English accents in England, the vowel in ban is a front-open vowel. The vowel in start in a back-open vowel. Front or back means the 'position' of the vowel in your mouth when you are saying the sound. You can feel that the ban vowel is in the front of your mouth and the start vowel in the back. As another example, [i:] (vowel in bee) is a front vowel while [u:] (vowel in who) is a back vowel. They are a pair of close vowels (close means you don't open your mouth as big as when you are speaking open vowels).
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T08:19:20.253Z
Regarding your question, more central just means the sound comes from a more central position in the month, not front or back.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T09:53:58.907Z
Hmm, indeed, your [Macmillan Dictionary audio sample for ban](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban) link sounds very close to the standard Mandarin `bàn`. I haven't noticed British-style pronunciation before. For Chinese online dictionaries, I suggest [汉典](http://www.zdic.net/). It's quite comprehensive, and of course, provides audio samples for characters. Maybe you would have a try?
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T11:54:18.433Z
@Stan thank you for that link, it's a fantastic resource :) It does sound very close to the British ban sample, and if this site is authoritative enough to end the debate, would you like to post it as an answer and I'll accept it? It's neither "**an** apple" nor "that was **fu**n" but something in between, and I can see how people might more closely align it to one or the other in order to explain it. Unfortunately for me, it looks like I have to break my habits again ...
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-15T11:57:17.940Z
@user58955 thanks for clarifying what it meant, that helps!
Ming
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:25:58.223Z
@Ming That 汉典 site is kind of similar to Wikipedia, many amateurs and experts maintain it. I'm not sure if it's "authoritative enough". Anyway, I think user58955's comments are more relevant to your point (actually I've no idea about such "minor" distinction in English pronunciation), I'd like to see his comments become the answer :D
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-16T00:56:09.373Z
@user58955 would you like to do a write up of your comments as an answer? Stan approves :P
Ming
<mandarin><pronunciation>
"an" final pronunciation
# "an" final pronunciation

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-15)

I have had eight mainland Chinese teachers over the time I have spent studying, and I am still confused, because I find there are inconsistencies between my textbook's audio CDs, my teachers' explanations, and what I typically hear people say. I don't know how to read IPA so please bear with me.
In some audio CDs, and most of my teachers, they agree that "an" should be pronounced like the English "an" (e.g. an apple) and not like the English "un" (e.g. that was fun) and I do often hear it for cases such as "怎么办？" and "赶得到". They also tell me it's the same for 换 and 言 etc. (just not for 天 as "ian" is a different rule.)
However, the disagreement stems from others telling me it should be the English "un", and there are resources that also show this (I read through Pinyin tones pronunciation cheat sheet and listened to the accompanying links http://lost-theory.org/chinese/phonetics/ and http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation, which follows this rule.)
I do also notice that some of the teachers in the first camp, while pronouncing 办 with the English "an", seem to pronounce 看 with the English "un". Not all of them, however. This makes things very confusing.
I have broken my pronunciation habits once and switched from the first camp to the second camp, and now am wondering if I should have done that, and if I should actually be switching back.
Can anybody clarify this?
(Note: The teachers that were staunchly in the second camp also pronounced "iu" as English "ew", not like the "iou" that it should be (就 etc.,) but I don't know if that's enough to disregard their arguments for what is considered correct pronunciation.)
UPDATE: Wiki article on pinyin claims:
an  [än]    an  like British English "ban", but more central

Not ... entirely sure what "but more central" means, but going by the Macmillan Dictionary audio sample for ban and the CCTV link @username_1 commented with it doesn't sound like the "an" in "an apple" nor does it sound like the "un" in "that was fun", but it sounds somewhere in between the two, what I'm thinking at the moment is that it sounds like the "an" in "hand".

**Tags:** mandarin, pronunciation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: `they agree that "an" should be pronounced like the English "an" (e.g. an apple)` I've never heard a native Chinese speaker pronounces pinyin `an` as "an in *an apple*". I doubt they meant the phonetic symbol /an/ where /a/ is a short "ah" sound -- if so, that makes sense.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 hmm, I have, especially with something like 怎么办？-- or do my ears deceive me? Also, if it explains anything, quite a few of my teachers are from 浙江, because of the sister-relationship my 孔子学院 has with 浙江大学. Teachers/other native speakers with contrasting opinions have been from 黑龙江, 江苏, 广东.  
> **username_1**: 新闻联播 is a credible source for learning pronunciation. Try this video on Youtube (14:51-14:53): ["三天内 **办** 结所需手续"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53IeAFaBCXc&t=14m51s). What does you hear? /ban/, /bən/, /bæn/, or /bʌn/? To me, the pinyin `bàn` sounds like /ban/.  
> **username_0**: I think I've listened to it 50 times -_- I hear not quite the "an" from "an apple" but not quite the "un" from "that was fun" either -- rather something in between the two! "an apple" is quite nasal, "that was fun" is coming from low in the throat. What I hear is not so nasal, but not so low in the throat either.  
> **username_2**: In some English accents in England, the vowel in ban is a front-open vowel. The vowel in start in a back-open vowel. Front or back means the 'position' of the vowel in your mouth when you are saying the sound. You can feel that the ban vowel is in the front of your mouth and the start vowel in the back. As another example, [i:] (vowel in bee) is a front vowel while [u:] (vowel in who) is a back vowel. They are a pair of close vowels (close means you don't open your mouth as big as when you are speaking open vowels).  
> **username_2**: Regarding your question, more central just means the sound comes from a more central position in the month, not front or back.  
> **username_1**: Hmm, indeed, your [Macmillan Dictionary audio sample for ban](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban) link sounds very close to the standard Mandarin `bàn`. I haven't noticed British-style pronunciation before. For Chinese online dictionaries, I suggest [汉典](http://www.zdic.net/). It's quite comprehensive, and of course, provides audio samples for characters. Maybe you would have a try?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 thank you for that link, it's a fantastic resource :) It does sound very close to the British ban sample, and if this site is authoritative enough to end the debate, would you like to post it as an answer and I'll accept it? It's neither "**an** apple" nor "that was **fu**n" but something in between, and I can see how people might more closely align it to one or the other in order to explain it. Unfortunately for me, it looks like I have to break my habits again ...  
> **username_0**: @username_2 thanks for clarifying what it meant, that helps!  
> **username_1**: @username_0 That 汉典 site is kind of similar to Wikipedia, many amateurs and experts maintain it. I'm not sure if it's "authoritative enough". Anyway, I think username_2's comments are more relevant to your point (actually I've no idea about such "minor" distinction in English pronunciation), I'd like to see his comments become the answer :D  
> **username_0**: @username_2 would you like to do a write up of your comments as an answer? username_1 approves :P  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-05-17. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

To answer your question, we need a little basic phonetics: A vowel has two main attributes -- how open your mouth is when you are making the sound, and whether the sound is made at the front of the mouth or at the back. For example, FLEE vowel is close and front, FLU vowel is close and back. BAN vowel is open (more open than BET, which is more open than FLEE) and front, START vowel is open and back. The FUN vowel is usually in the mid of the mouth, but not as open as START.

The BAN vowel is more open in some accents in England than in the general American accent. As username_1 has found, the vowel in <http://www.macmillandictionary.com/pronunciation/british/ban> is front and very open, more open than the same vowel in American accent.

Now, regarding your original question what 'more central' means, it means that you open your mouth as wide(open) as the BAN vowel in the audio clip above, but move the tongue position a bit towards the back. As a side note, the standard mandarin accent uses a mid vowel in pinyin `ban`, while the Taiwanese accent uses a fronter variant (just like the BAN vowel in the audio clip).


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-05-16. Score: 3

The right pronunciation should sound like "ahn". The English pronunciation of "an" sounds wrong in Chinese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The "ah" part should sound slightly strained, and not like the "o" sound in "dog".  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-05-16. Score: 2

The pronunciation and/or images of the `an` sound of the teachers from Zhejiang might well be influenced by their dialectal mother tongue. In Zhejiang dialects, at least in that spoken in Hangzhou, where Zhejiang University is located, many `an` sounds are pronounced closer to the English `an` as in `an apple` than their Mandarin equivalents.

Some examples from Phonemica, a site collecting samples of Chinese dialects:

<http://phonemica.net/entry/353>
The `板` in `銅板` at 00:09 and elsewhere

<http://phonemica.net/entry/368>
The `饭` in `中饭` at 00:12


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-05-15. Score: 1

I am a Madanrin native speaker, and I pronounce pinyin an in the exactly same way as **un** in lunch.

So for me 饭 is pronounced exactly same as **fun** in "Have fun."

While 烦 is pronounced exactly same as **fun** in "Did you have fun?" Because fun is the last word in that sentence, its tone is raised, making it sound exactly same as 烦 or 凡 or 繁.

So the following pairs are pronounced exactly same:

办 BUN, 畔 PUN, 饭 FUN 蛋 DUN, 难(nàn) NUN, 干(gàn) GUN, 汉 HUN, 散(sàn) SUN.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Presumably you're not a native _english_ speaker though... I pronounce the mandarin as [/a/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_front_unrounded_vowel) and the english short-u as [/ʌ/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_back_unrounded_vowel). Although there is variation within both languages, this distinction is normatively correct, relative to "standard" pronunciations. See: [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English) and [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Mandarin).  
> **username_8**: ```an``` in Chinese Mandarin in no way could be the same as ```un``` in lunch in pronunciation .  
> **username_9**: @username_8 well, if you do like most italians speaking english do and mispronounce `un` as /an/ instead of /ʌn/ which is the english accent, well, then yes, mandarin `an` and english `un` are the same. As OP noted, though, it is incorrect to pronounce them the same, since `an` is more front than `un`.  
> **username_8**: "though, it is incorrect to pronounce them the same, ..." -- that's exactly what I mean, what I mean is the difference between the pronunciation, as my last post noted.  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-05-15. Score: 1

there's a [script](http://wenku.baidu.com/link?url=uNo_Jo7H7qmOcS-tgnL4HT-evvfkJXh8mbW4ySVrLy9xEwKE3kKgMrumGeUppwPE1lw5yDV_qibDZe1yFtRMhM6WHrEvecwexeBig2xC1CC) from a Chinese teacher, which explained your confusion.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Hi, would you be able to summarise in-answer? If the link dies in the future, this answer becomes meaningless. Thanks!  
> **username_8**: @username_0, you should always remember that in Chinese Mandarin ```an``` should be pronounced as ```un``` in English, though you said ```"... the first camp, while pronouncing 办 with the English "an"...```, if ```an``` in 办 is pronounced as ```an``` in English, then 办 should be pronounced as 奔, but they are different and I suppose you know the difference. So remember, an (Chinese) == un (English), and en (Chinese) == an (English). Do you have any other cases which you think ```an``` should be pronounced as ```an``` in English?  
> **username_0**: Hmm I think you might be getting a different idea of the "an" in "an apple" and "un" in "that was fun" that I've been trying to describe, because they definitely aren't the same as "en" in 奔, either of them.  
> **username_8**: "an" in "an apple" is the same as "en" in 奔 in pronunciation.  
> **username_1**: @username_8 I suggest you listen to the [British English "an"](http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/an_5). As many Chinese students learn American English, probably you presuppose the only weak sound **/ən/** image in your mind, but that's not very true to every case.  
> **username_8**: @username_1 thanks, I listened and you are right. Now I think probably I know why @username_0 get confused, his friends and teachers might not pointed out in which English the ```an``` in "an apple"  it is. And my answer now is that:   "an" in "an apple" in American English is the same as "en" in 奔 in pronunciation.  

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### Answer by username_10 on 2018-05-21. Score: 1

Indeed, the phonetic alphabet is a tool you use for each speaker and speaker, and it is also very important to know that subjective ways of teaching are the rule. Some of my teachers say quinzi, the others qunzi as mandarin standard. The individual or collective differences are not something the speaker is always aware of. The teacher is part of a process of "idealization" of his own language. Sometimes, your ears are right, but your brain does not translate it right. The last drill on the Net "yanni-lionel" is one of those problems, phoneticians have to cope with: the spectrum of sounds delimitation is tricky. Both might be right and the answer is not the one, but both. bun and ban, you can use forvo or university of main databases for these different pronunciations.


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### Answer by username_11 on 2014-05-15. Score: 1

For me, the `a` in Chinese pinyin sounds like the `a` in `father`.(It's same as the Italian pronunciation of vowel `a` too) The `an` in Chinese sounds like the `an` in `fantastic`. Hope that helps! :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "The an in Chinese sounds like the an in fantastic" You should declare it's in British English.  
> **username_11**: I don't really know the difference between British English and American english but I've been learning British English. So i guess you're right ;P  
> **username_9**: `a` in `father` is back. For me, `a` in Chinese is central, as in Italian. `fantastic` has an `an` pronounced either /æn/ (if stressed) or /ən/ (when not). In Chinese, `an` should be /an/. /ǝn/ is more like `en` in `fen`. /æn/ is not Chinese, though some speakers may front it like that.  

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