<p>The pronunciations of finals do not change when used after different finals, with perhaps only one exception: 'i'. It has three variations: 'zi ci si', 'zhi chi shi ri', and all others.</p>

<p>NOTE: Not many Chinese know the differences, but you can compare:</p>

<pre><code>English pinyin
 Lee     li
 she     shi    (the two consonants are also different)
 see     si
</code></pre>

<p>The three english /<em>ee</em>/ in the above word are the same, but the three Chinese <em>i</em> are all different.</p>

<p>However, the spellings of the finals do change when used after different initials. The details can be found in 汉语拼音方案 (the Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet), which is the official standard for Chinese pinyin.</p>

<p>For the example mentioned by the OP, 'ü' will be written as 'u' after 'j' 'q' and 'x'. ('u' will never be used after 'j' 'q' or 'x')</p>

<p>NOTE2: I don't know whether the full detail of the scheme is appropriate for beginners. There are two links in Chinese: <a href="http://www.zdic.net/appendix/f8.htm" rel="nofollow">汉典</a> <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/104414.htm" rel="nofollow">BaiduBaike</a></p>

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2012-01-20T21:36:31.833Z
Is there a link to that Scheme?
Petruza
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2012-01-21T01:16:19.993Z
@Petruza Added to links in answer. They are in Chinese though.
fefe
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2012-01-21T05:49:14.060Z
I would replace your second English pronunciation "she" with "sure". It's not exact, but it's closer.
Don Kirkby
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2012-01-21T08:10:48.063Z
@DonKirkby I'm comparing the English /ee/ in she and the Chinese i in shi. The three ee in English the the same, but the three i in Chinese are all different. The /sh/ sound in 'she' and 'sure' should be the same.
fefe
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2012-01-22T05:40:52.480Z
OK, I misunderstood what you were trying to show. Now that you've added more explanation, it makes sense.
Don Kirkby
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2012-06-20T14:00:45.563Z
Please add explanation for "u"/"ü" (diaeresis only used when it's ambiguous). Otherwise it only answers half the question.
Stumpy Joe Pete
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2011-12-24T14:28:42.697Z
2012-01-21T08:12:14.397Z
2012-01-21T08:12:14.397Z
fefe
<p>I think one of the reasons is the loss of tone and/or stress in the syllable. But see this table, <em>"<a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_%28Mandarin%29/Pronunciation_of_Finals" rel="nofollow">Chinese (Mandarin)/Pronunciation of Finals</a>"</em>, it provides a good summary of the changes.</p>

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2014-09-15T19:35:03.147Z
Actually @Alemanno that depends on whether you view that -i as a vowel /ɨ/, and then you're right, or as a trailing syllabic consonant, and then with `z c s` you have syllabic /z/, and with `zh ch sh r` you have syllabic /ʐ/. That, of course, depends on whether the speaker is or isn't able to distinguish `z c s` from `zh ch sh`.
MickG
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2014-09-15T19:37:41.783Z
Pronouncing `是` and `四` and listening to myself, I can hear a difference in the -i's. But I guess in speech I would not be too good at distinguishing them if the vowel (i.e. the syllabic / vocalic use of the different consonants) were the only difference. But then, for completeness, I feel it is opportune to report this :).
MickG
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2011-12-24T12:58:03.703Z
How does "i" sound when placed after the initials "c", "ch", "r", "s", "sh", "z" and "zh"? Is this always the same?
Village
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2011-12-24T13:01:08.297Z
If you know the pronunciation of "是" (shì), then it's the same in all those cases, look up for example (following your order): 次, 吃, 日, 四, 是, 字, 只.
Alenanno
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2011-12-24T12:43:00.013Z
2011-12-24T12:43:00.013Z
Alenanno
<p>'U' is pronounced 'Ü' with the initials J, Q, X and the pseudo-initial 'Y'. Otherwise it is always pronounced 'U'.</p>

<p>Something that might help one remember it, is that J, Q and X are also pronounced with the same tongue-position but with slightly varying flow of air. So J, Q and X are basically one pronunciation.</p>

<p>I like to think that the inventors of pinyin wanted to save some trouble, and decided to spare the writers of pinyin the hassle (and ink) of writing the umlaut above the 'U', when it is not absolutely necessary. (It does pose a challenge for learners though).</p>

<p>Some pinyin charts can help you remember it by visualization. On the chart below you'll see the 'Ü' pronunciation is grouped regardless of how it is written ('Ü' or not)</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/y4YLU.png" alt="Standard Mandarin pinyin chart"></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-21T09:58:17.667Z
2014-01-21T09:58:17.667Z
Joel Hansen
<p>One of the easiest ways to hear the different pinyin sounds is to look on YouTube. The trickiest ones for me to learn were the different pronunciations of "i". Here are some videos that explain the differences:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D6G0aqjtso" rel="nofollow">zhi, chi, shi, r</a> sound a bit like English "sure".</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8WAjVeqD80" rel="nofollow">ji, qi, xi</a> sound a bit like English "she".</li>
<li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ep35q9e_Y" rel="nofollow">zi, ci, si</a> sound a bit like the vowel at the end of "visa".</li>
</ul>

<p>There are <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pinyin%20sounds" rel="nofollow">lots more YouTube videos about pinyin sounds</a>.</p>

<p>There's also a <a href="http://pinyin.info/rules/initials_finals.html" rel="nofollow">good chart at pinyin.com</a> with all the changes described. <a href="http://www.quickmandarin.com/chinesepinyintable/" rel="nofollow">This table at quickmandarin.com</a> will play the sounds for you if you click on one of them. It covers the tones as well.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-18T01:16:46.050Z
+1, The [pinyin.info](http://pinyin.info/rules/initials_finals.html) chart is by far the best source of all the answers, but it is still missing certain things.
Ming
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2012-01-21T10:53:53.617Z
For the last point, did you mean the schwa? In that case I think that you should specify that it's "pizza" read in English, because in italian "pizza" sounds different :P
Alenanno
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2012-01-22T05:47:08.617Z
Yes, @Alenanno, I meant the schwa. I've replaced "pizza" with "visa", so I hope that's a bit better. I really couldn't think of any English words that use the same vowel sound as "zi, ci, si". Anyone else have better suggestions?
Don Kirkby
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2012-01-22T11:57:03.503Z
Maybe the exclamation [ugh](http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/ugh)? The BrE pronunciation, at least... :D It's the closest one I can think of...
Alenanno
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2013-11-05T12:06:36.043Z
Note than when you bring up English "sure" that it's a word with very different sounds in American English versus British or Australian English, and that many readers won't be aware of this. Also YouTube links are not usable in China at this time due to the Great Firewall `)-:`
hippietrail
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2012-01-21T06:00:50.123Z
2012-01-22T05:44:06.420Z
2012-01-22T05:44:06.420Z
Don Kirkby
<p>My mothertongue teacher suggested the following "Pinyin false friends list". She spoke about the "7+3+5" false friends:</p>

<ol>
<li>The 7 are <code>z c s zh ch sh r</code>, after which <code>i</code> is pronounced, she said, as "silence"; this, as I said in a comment, equates to either always /ɨ/ or, more accurately, a trailing syllabic voiced fricative, i.e. <code>zi ci si zhi chi shi ri</code> = <code>/tsz̩ tsʰz̩ sz̩ tʂʐ̩ tʂʰʐ̩ ʂʐ̩ ɻʐ̩/</code>, or one may say <code>ri</code> = <code>/ʐʐ̩/</code>, that varies from speaker to speaker;</li>
<li>The 3 are <code>j q x</code>, after which <code>u</code> is pronounced like <code>ü</code> in any case; that is because <code>j q x</code> are alveolo-palatal, and are thus never used before non-palatal sounds like u; that also explains why <code>z c s zh ch sh r</code> have the above sounds with <code>-i</code>: i is palatal, they are not; in fact, what used to be <code>*/tsi/</code> etc. "collapsed" into modern <code>ji</code> etc., and so did <code>*gi</code> etc, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Chinese_phonology#From_Late_Middle_Chinese_to_Standard_Mandarin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>; this is why <code>Peking</code> is <code>Beijing</code>: it used to be <code>*Beiging</code> and got Wade-Giles <code>Pei-king</code>, and lost the <code>i</code> for "English phonetic representation"; </li>
<li>The 5 are <code>ui iu ian üan o</code>, which are pronounced as <code>uei iou ien üen we</code> respectively.</li>
</ol>

<p>Now I do not agree to the <code>o</code>. Or rather, it needs specifications. <code>o</code> by itself is, AFAIK, only present in the 4 characters <code>哦喔噢嚄</code>, which are interjections and exclamative particles, and which I would pronounce <code>/o/</code> – I'm not a native though, so this must be taken <em>cum grano salis</em>, and they <em>are</em> sometimes rendered as <code>/wo/</code>. When <code>o</code> is a syllable final (e.g. <code>bo po mo fo</code>, actually those are the only examples, as elsewhere you find <code>uo</code>) it is usually pronounced <code>/wo/</code>. Wikipedia has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese_phonology#Allophones" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this table</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#Finals" rel="nofollow noreferrer">note three in this one</a> agreeing with this view. Also, <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%BC%82%E6%B3%8A#Chinese" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this Wiktionary entry</a>, for example, translates <code>-o</code> to <code>/-u̯o/</code>, which is essentially <code>/-wo/</code>. With this, I think the 7+3+5 rule is a good mnemonic for these spelling-sound discrepancies.</p>

<p>See also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#Finals" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> for further reading and comparisons with other Romanizations such as Wade-Giles.</p>

<p>There is also another thing: tone sandhi (Chinese <code>连续变调</code>). Basically, third tones often change. Base rule: 3+3 -> 2+3, i.e. nǐhǎo is pronounced níhǎo. For sequences, see <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/9558/tone-three-sandhi">here</a> and linked questions. There are also tone variations of <code>一</code> and <code>不</code>, which are sometimes marked, but often not marked. For those, if you are not satisfied with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_sandhi#Mandarin_Chinese" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a>, I suggest you ask another question.</p>

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2014-09-19T19:38:32.670Z
2014-09-19T20:28:12.027Z
2017-04-13T12:48:06.457Z
MickG
<p>Even if the pronunce is "ü", the pinyin is always "u" after: "j" "q" "x".</p>

<p>There's a (cruel!) mnemonic doggerel for this rule:</p>

<p>小淘气 (xiǎo táoqì) "the little brats"
见了鱼眼 (jiàn le yǔyǎn) "saw the eyes of a fish"
就挖去 (jiù wā qù) "and took them out"</p>

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2015-08-01T19:39:05.863Z
2015-08-01T19:39:05.863Z
Starnuto di topo
<p>I noticed that sometimes certain finals in Chinese sound differently when combined with different initials.</p>
<p>For e.g., what is spelled &quot;u&quot; sometimes is pronounced &quot;ü&quot;. Other times, I think the final &quot;i&quot; sounds differently when combined with different initials.</p>
<p>Is there a list of rules explaining all of these differences within standard Mandarin?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-26T11:24:34.420Z
I always found the "bopo mofo" phonetic alphabet far better because of reasons like this. There is no duality, 'u' sound is one symbol, and the "ü" sound another one. Also, you won't be tricked into pronouncing anything in an English way (because no symbols are latin letters).
Lars Andren
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2012-01-20T21:34:32.133Z
When the *u* is really pronounced *ü*, as in *qu*, it's not that they chose a different letter, but just that the diaeresis is droppedfor simplification, because no real *qu* would happen in chinese, it's a bit confusing yes.
Petruza
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2012-01-21T06:05:19.540Z
Personally, @Lars, I found pinyin much easier to use than zhuyin fuhao (bopo mofo). The minor changes in pronunciation took less effort for me to learn than a completely unknown set of symbols. For a learner who didn't already know the Roman alphabet, I could see zhuyin fuhao being easier.
Don Kirkby
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2012-01-23T06:28:50.780Z
@DonKirkby, that's interesting. I first thought most people would prefer the system that was used to introduce them to Chinese, but it was the other way around for me. I first used pinyin, but when bumping into bopo mofo I found it a lot better. Just as with turn-ons I guess, whatever works for you, is the best ;)
Lars Andren
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2014-09-19T20:44:19.973Z
@LarsAndren well bopomofo has its advantages for `-ui` and `-iu`, which are spelt `-uei` and `-iou` in it, and for `ü` being a totally different letter from `u`. However, marking tone 1 with nothing and tone 0 with a dot is something I don't like. Also, the `-ian` combination is spelt that way, but is pronounced `/jen/`. And I guess spelling `song` as `sueng` and `qiong` as `qüeng` is not that much an advantage or a clear spelling. So for people who already know the Latin alphabet, I'd definitely recommend Pinyin, whereas for those who don't, well, each has its pros and cons :).
MickG
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2014-09-20T18:33:46.267Z
@MickG, not surprisingly, I like the absence of a first tone marker ;) It feels very engineered, why have a symbol when you don't need one? Something has to be the default, why not let that be the first tone? But yes, it might take a few moments to get used to that. Also, the dot for netural tone is perfect (in my opinion), as a dot is circular, and doesn't go anywhere, as compared to a straight or jagged line. But as usual, whatever floats your boat!
Lars Andren
<mandarin><pronunciation><pinyin>
Are there rules about the differences between pinyin spelling and pronunciation?
# Are there rules about the differences between pinyin spelling and pronunciation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-12-24)

I noticed that sometimes certain finals in Chinese sound differently when combined with different initials.

For e.g., what is spelled "u" sometimes is pronounced "ü". Other times, I think the final "i" sounds differently when combined with different initials.

Is there a list of rules explaining all of these differences within standard Mandarin?

**Tags:** mandarin, pronunciation, pinyin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I always found the "bopo mofo" phonetic alphabet far better because of reasons like this. There is no duality, 'u' sound is one symbol, and the "ü" sound another one. Also, you won't be tricked into pronouncing anything in an English way (because no symbols are latin letters).  
> **username_2**: When the *u* is really pronounced *ü*, as in *qu*, it's not that they chose a different letter, but just that the diaeresis is droppedfor simplification, because no real *qu* would happen in chinese, it's a bit confusing yes.  
> **username_3**: Personally, @username_1, I found pinyin much easier to use than zhuyin fuhao (bopo mofo). The minor changes in pronunciation took less effort for me to learn than a completely unknown set of symbols. For a learner who didn't already know the Roman alphabet, I could see zhuyin fuhao being easier.  
> **username_1**: @username_3, that's interesting. I first thought most people would prefer the system that was used to introduce them to Chinese, but it was the other way around for me. I first used pinyin, but when bumping into bopo mofo I found it a lot better. Just as with turn-ons I guess, whatever works for you, is the best ;)  
> **username_4**: @username_1 well bopomofo has its advantages for `-ui` and `-iu`, which are spelt `-uei` and `-iou` in it, and for `ü` being a totally different letter from `u`. However, marking tone 1 with nothing and tone 0 with a dot is something I don't like. Also, the `-ian` combination is spelt that way, but is pronounced `/jen/`. And I guess spelling `song` as `sueng` and `qiong` as `qüeng` is not that much an advantage or a clear spelling. So for people who already know the Latin alphabet, I'd definitely recommend Pinyin, whereas for those who don't, well, each has its pros and cons :).  
> **username_1**: @username_4, not surprisingly, I like the absence of a first tone marker ;) It feels very engineered, why have a symbol when you don't need one? Something has to be the default, why not let that be the first tone? But yes, it might take a few moments to get used to that. Also, the dot for netural tone is perfect (in my opinion), as a dot is circular, and doesn't go anywhere, as compared to a straight or jagged line. But as usual, whatever floats your boat!  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2011-12-24. Score: 6

The pronunciations of finals do not change when used after different finals, with perhaps only one exception: 'i'. It has three variations: 'zi ci si', 'zhi chi shi ri', and all others.

NOTE: Not many Chinese know the differences, but you can compare:

```
English pinyin
 Lee     li
 she     shi    (the two consonants are also different)
 see     si

```

The three english /*ee*/ in the above word are the same, but the three Chinese *i* are all different.

However, the spellings of the finals do change when used after different initials. The details can be found in 汉语拼音方案 (the Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet), which is the official standard for Chinese pinyin.

For the example mentioned by the OP, 'ü' will be written as 'u' after 'j' 'q' and 'x'. ('u' will never be used after 'j' 'q' or 'x')

NOTE2: I don't know whether the full detail of the scheme is appropriate for beginners. There are two links in Chinese: [汉典](http://www.zdic.net/appendix/f8.htm) [BaiduBaike](http://baike.baidu.com/view/104414.htm)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Is there a link to that Scheme?  
> **username_5**: @username_2 Added to links in answer. They are in Chinese though.  
> **username_3**: I would replace your second English pronunciation "she" with "sure". It's not exact, but it's closer.  
> **username_5**: @username_3 I'm comparing the English /ee/ in she and the Chinese i in shi. The three ee in English the the same, but the three i in Chinese are all different. The /sh/ sound in 'she' and 'sure' should be the same.  
> **username_3**: OK, I misunderstood what you were trying to show. Now that you've added more explanation, it makes sense.  
> **username_6**: Please add explanation for "u"/"ü" (diaeresis only used when it's ambiguous). Otherwise it only answers half the question.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2011-12-24. Score: 4

I think one of the reasons is the loss of tone and/or stress in the syllable. But see this table, *"[Chinese (Mandarin)/Pronunciation of Finals](http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_%28Mandarin%29/Pronunciation_of_Finals)"*, it provides a good summary of the changes.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: How does "i" sound when placed after the initials "c", "ch", "r", "s", "sh", "z" and "zh"? Is this always the same?  
> **username_7**: If you know the pronunciation of "是" (shì), then it's the same in all those cases, look up for example (following your order): 次, 吃, 日, 四, 是, 字, 只.  
> **username_4**: Actually @Alemanno that depends on whether you view that -i as a vowel /ɨ/, and then you're right, or as a trailing syllabic consonant, and then with `z c s` you have syllabic /z/, and with `zh ch sh r` you have syllabic /ʐ/. That, of course, depends on whether the speaker is or isn't able to distinguish `z c s` from `zh ch sh`.  
> **username_4**: Pronouncing `是` and `四` and listening to myself, I can hear a difference in the -i's. But I guess in speech I would not be too good at distinguishing them if the vowel (i.e. the syllabic / vocalic use of the different consonants) were the only difference. But then, for completeness, I feel it is opportune to report this :).  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-01-21. Score: 3

'U' is pronounced 'Ü' with the initials J, Q, X and the pseudo-initial 'Y'. Otherwise it is always pronounced 'U'.

Something that might help one remember it, is that J, Q and X are also pronounced with the same tongue-position but with slightly varying flow of air. So J, Q and X are basically one pronunciation.

I like to think that the inventors of pinyin wanted to save some trouble, and decided to spare the writers of pinyin the hassle (and ink) of writing the umlaut above the 'U', when it is not absolutely necessary. (It does pose a challenge for learners though).

Some pinyin charts can help you remember it by visualization. On the chart below you'll see the 'Ü' pronunciation is grouped regardless of how it is written ('Ü' or not)

![Standard Mandarin pinyin chart](https://i.sstatic.net/y4YLU.png)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-01-21. Score: 3

One of the easiest ways to hear the different pinyin sounds is to look on YouTube. The trickiest ones for me to learn were the different pronunciations of "i". Here are some videos that explain the differences:

* [zhi, chi, shi, r](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D6G0aqjtso) sound a bit like English "sure".
* [ji, qi, xi](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8WAjVeqD80) sound a bit like English "she".
* [zi, ci, si](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ep35q9e_Y) sound a bit like the vowel at the end of "visa".

There are [lots more YouTube videos about pinyin sounds](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pinyin%20sounds).

There's also a [good chart at pinyin.com](http://pinyin.info/rules/initials_finals.html) with all the changes described. [This table at quickmandarin.com](http://www.quickmandarin.com/chinesepinyintable/) will play the sounds for you if you click on one of them. It covers the tones as well.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: For the last point, did you mean the schwa? In that case I think that you should specify that it's "pizza" read in English, because in italian "pizza" sounds different :P  
> **username_3**: Yes, @username_7, I meant the schwa. I've replaced "pizza" with "visa", so I hope that's a bit better. I really couldn't think of any English words that use the same vowel sound as "zi, ci, si". Anyone else have better suggestions?  
> **username_7**: Maybe the exclamation [ugh](http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/ugh)? The BrE pronunciation, at least... :D It's the closest one I can think of...  
> **username_10**: Note than when you bring up English "sure" that it's a word with very different sounds in American English versus British or Australian English, and that many readers won't be aware of this. Also YouTube links are not usable in China at this time due to the Great Firewall `)-:`  
> **username_9**: +1, The [pinyin.info](http://pinyin.info/rules/initials_finals.html) chart is by far the best source of all the answers, but it is still missing certain things.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-09-19. Score: 2

My mothertongue teacher suggested the following "Pinyin false friends list". She spoke about the "7+3+5" false friends:

1. The 7 are `z c s zh ch sh r`, after which `i` is pronounced, she said, as "silence"; this, as I said in a comment, equates to either always /ɨ/ or, more accurately, a trailing syllabic voiced fricative, i.e. `zi ci si zhi chi shi ri` = `/tsz̩ tsʰz̩ sz̩ tʂʐ̩ tʂʰʐ̩ ʂʐ̩ ɻʐ̩/`, or one may say `ri` = `/ʐʐ̩/`, that varies from speaker to speaker;
2. The 3 are `j q x`, after which `u` is pronounced like `ü` in any case; that is because `j q x` are alveolo-palatal, and are thus never used before non-palatal sounds like u; that also explains why `z c s zh ch sh r` have the above sounds with `-i`: i is palatal, they are not; in fact, what used to be `*/tsi/` etc. "collapsed" into modern `ji` etc., and so did `*gi` etc, according to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Chinese_phonology#From_Late_Middle_Chinese_to_Standard_Mandarin); this is why `Peking` is `Beijing`: it used to be `*Beiging` and got Wade-Giles `Pei-king`, and lost the `i` for "English phonetic representation";
3. The 5 are `ui iu ian üan o`, which are pronounced as `uei iou ien üen we` respectively.

Now I do not agree to the `o`. Or rather, it needs specifications. `o` by itself is, AFAIK, only present in the 4 characters `哦喔噢嚄`, which are interjections and exclamative particles, and which I would pronounce `/o/` – I'm not a native though, so this must be taken *cum grano salis*, and they *are* sometimes rendered as `/wo/`. When `o` is a syllable final (e.g. `bo po mo fo`, actually those are the only examples, as elsewhere you find `uo`) it is usually pronounced `/wo/`. Wikipedia has [this table](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese_phonology#Allophones) and [note three in this one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#Finals) agreeing with this view. Also, [this Wiktionary entry](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%BC%82%E6%B3%8A#Chinese), for example, translates `-o` to `/-u̯o/`, which is essentially `/-wo/`. With this, I think the 7+3+5 rule is a good mnemonic for these spelling-sound discrepancies.

See also [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#Finals) for further reading and comparisons with other Romanizations such as Wade-Giles.

There is also another thing: tone sandhi (Chinese `连续变调`). Basically, third tones often change. Base rule: 3+3 -> 2+3, i.e. nǐhǎo is pronounced níhǎo. For sequences, see [here](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/9558/tone-three-sandhi) and linked questions. There are also tone variations of `一` and `不`, which are sometimes marked, but often not marked. For those, if you are not satisfied with [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_sandhi#Mandarin_Chinese), I suggest you ask another question.


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### Answer by username_11 on 2015-08-01. Score: 0

Even if the pronunce is "ü", the pinyin is always "u" after: "j" "q" "x".

There's a (cruel!) mnemonic doggerel for this rule:

小淘气 (xiǎo táoqì) "the little brats"
见了鱼眼 (jiàn le yǔyǎn) "saw the eyes of a fish"
就挖去 (jiù wā qù) "and took them out"


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