<p>I think it is a terrible mistake that the website has made, because there is no occasion when qu is pronounced tsʰu in Mandarin. Since you can actually tell the difference between u and ü, things should be easier for you now. You can just memorise that after (pinyin) j, q, x, y, ü is always written as u, and if you see u after j, q, x, y, it's always pronounced as ü. It shouldn't cause any confusion at least to native speakers because these consonants are never followed by a vowel sound u but only by a ü.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T14:47:09.790Z
Mistakes like this kind of ruin my confidene in websites to be helpful. I can try to remember this one rule but if I get rusty or doubt it and go to the Internet to check, I might run up against this mistake or others just as bad. I guess with such large tables it can be hard to make sure there are no errors. Thanks for checking it for me!
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T19:36:28.723Z
@hippietrail You should keep some books at hand, which are generally more reliable than internet sources when it comes to language study.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-10T02:24:32.760Z
@NS.X.: This is true. I actually have quite a library of language books at home but now I'm on a trip through Asia trying to learn a bit of the language in each country. I'm almost half-way into my 30-day visa but I will be return for a second stay after visiting Mongolia. I'm finding Chinese a lot tougher than I expected.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-10T07:08:16.847Z
You are mainly right, but I asked someone yesterday about `yu` stuff, I was told that `yu` is an **变写** of `ü`, which cannot be splitted, which means you can't regard it as `y` followed by `ü`, it is just one single thing. it is not exactly the same as `ju`, `qu` and `xu`. You can see this [Q&A](http://www.zhihu.com/question/21997452?qc=1&group_id=108881224#comment-50717762). If you see anywhere that put them together, it is 'quick and dirty' teaching.
shuangwhywhy
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2013-11-10T12:38:20.317Z
@shuangwhywhy Yeah, I think you're right. It's mainly because y is not a consonant but like half a vowel. However, I don't think you can say the u in yu is not a ü because as it is said in the Q&A you posted, if you think yu is actually yi+u, it should be pronounced /ju/ as in IPA. Also, the reason why we can actually think yu follows the same rule as ju, qu and xu is that in all cases, u in exclusively pronounced as ü instead of u. It's called 互补分布 in traditional phonology. If it's not taught right now, it is still a valid teaching method.
Pennie
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2013-11-09T11:46:08.910Z
2013-11-09T11:46:08.910Z
Pennie
<p>There are many accents, but I will try to describe the pronunciation.  I don't know phonetic characters, but if you go by an American accent, 去 sounds a lot like "chew" if one were to say it fast, adding more of a "ts" sound at the beginning, with a downward inflection, and emphasize the "ee" sound.</p>

<p>Just listen to people talk, and imitate them.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-13T13:57:26.170Z
2013-11-13T13:57:26.170Z
user43633
<p>The following is based upon an English accent.</p>

<p>The <code>u</code> in <code>qu</code> is defiantly more of a <code>goo</code> sound, as in the sticky green stuff. As 去 is 4th tone, it is also quite a short sound. This is different to 不, where the <code>u</code> is more <code>oooo, interesting</code>.</p>

<p>The <code>q</code> is more of a <code>choo choo</code> sound, rather than a <code>chip</code> sound.</p>

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2013-11-10T14:56:48.220Z
So you disagree with Pennie's answer - now I am really confused `)-:`
hippietrail
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2013-11-10T15:01:04.907Z
@hippietrail I think rhughes didn't know there's the [ü(/y/)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg) sound in Chinese. That `u` in `qu` should never ever sound like /u:/.
Stan
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2013-11-10T15:02:35.900Z
I guess it depends on how you pronounce `boo`. There is a big difference in how you pronounce 不 and 去. I'll clarify.
rhughes
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2013-11-10T15:02:35.990Z
Yes I know my question is a bit "linguisticky" but that's my way of learning languages, and I don't have a native speaker's intuitions.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-10T15:11:45.137Z
@rhughes I'm just curious as a Chinese native speaker :) Would English native speaker pronounce the `oo` in `goo` like [/y/ (clike to hear)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg)? My dictionary tells me it sounds /u:/.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-10T15:17:32.003Z
@Stan `goo` is not pronounced like that. That link is more of an `ego` sound. There is no (at least to me) exact English sound that can accurately represent 去, so `goo` is a pretty good approximation. Updated answer again.
rhughes
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2013-11-10T22:09:53.727Z
The u in qu has no English equivalent... It's like a German ü.
Stumpy Joe Pete
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2013-11-11T02:58:51.013Z
@StumpyJoePete Why the down vote? I am only familiar with English, so approximations are all I can offer.
rhughes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-11T05:38:31.537Z
Because the answer is misleading and would probably confuse more than help someone searching for an answer. Try looking for some questions where, after reading the existing answers, you think "I definitely have something important to add" or "my answer would serve as a complete answer, better than what's here."
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-12T07:48:54.283Z
@rhughes: I think somebody downvoted because English has only one "oo" sound, which is very close to the Chinese "u" sound in Pinyin and less close to the Chinese "ü" sound in Pinyin, but still closer than any other sound. Because both Chinese sounds have the same closest equivalent in English it's not much help. English speakers have to learn also the extra sound "ü". I'm a native English speaker and to me the "oo" sounds in "goo" and "oooo" and "choo choo" are all the same.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-12T09:09:16.197Z
@hippietrail That's fair enough. I'm native English, but these are the sounds that helped me to begin with. Each to their own I guess :)
rhughes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-10T14:19:32.390Z
2013-11-10T15:18:26.790Z
2013-11-10T15:18:26.790Z
rhughes
<p>I'm a struggling very beginner having difficulties with both pronunciation and Pinyin.</p>

<p>I dabble in linguistics so I'm accustomed to dealing with IPA pronunciations. For this reason I have been looking for a table related syllables in Pinyin and IPA. I found <a href="http://talkbank.org/pinyin/Trad_chart_IPA.php">this one on <code>talkbang.org</code></a>, which I thought was just what I was looking for.</p>

<p>When I found my pronunciation of 去 (qù) "go" wasn't good I found on this site that the pronunciation would be <code>/tɕʰu/</code>, with the "u" sound similar to the one in Engish "food".</p>

<p>But my native Chinese speaking friend didn't understand me and the pronunciation he demonstrated for me sounded like <code>/tɕʰy/</code>, where <code>/y/</code> is the IPA symbol for the "ü" sound not found in English but similar to a sound found in French and German.</p>

<p>I know in Pinyin the spellings and sounds for "ü" and "u" are not totally obvious for new learners and I haven't got a grip on this yet.</p>

<p>So is the chart on this website wrong, thus being part of what's hindering my progress, or am I just not hearing or understanding things at all?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T05:19:02.220Z
On the wiki page ["pinyin"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin), there's specially a soundtrack for [/y/](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg). Hmm I assume you've already known this. But you should check this section [The character ü](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#The_character_.C3.BC), though it is written as `u` in `qù`, actually it is ü, so 去 is the /tɕʰy/ sound.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T06:55:37.470Z
Yes that's what I thought, which means the webpage I linked to is definitely wrong, which means I need to find a similar website without such mistakes (-:
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T07:01:45.723Z
Wait, that webpage has mentioned this phenomenon, and it properly marks it as "Special Spelling Exceptions" with orange color: `Treatment of ü: Most syllables with a {ü} are simplified and written with a {u} . The exceptions are {nü, nüe, lü, lüe}`.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-09T07:10:23.313Z
Yes but it then contradicts itself when you look up the table following the "c" row across and the "u" column down where it gives the pronunciation `tsʰu`. It's either a mistake or a terrible design if you are supposed to look up the wrong pronunciation and then use the special spelling exceptions to convert the wrong pronunciation to the correct pronunciation.
hippietrail
<pronunciation><pinyin><resources><spelling><websites>
Is 去 (qù) pronunced /tɕʰu/ or /tɕʰy/?
# Is 去 (qù) pronunced /tɕʰu/ or /tɕʰy/?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-09)

I'm a struggling very beginner having difficulties with both pronunciation and Pinyin.

I dabble in linguistics so I'm accustomed to dealing with IPA pronunciations. For this reason I have been looking for a table related syllables in Pinyin and IPA. I found [this one on `talkbang.org`](http://talkbank.org/pinyin/Trad_chart_IPA.php), which I thought was just what I was looking for.

When I found my pronunciation of 去 (qù) "go" wasn't good I found on this site that the pronunciation would be `/tɕʰu/`, with the "u" sound similar to the one in Engish "food".

But my native Chinese speaking friend didn't understand me and the pronunciation he demonstrated for me sounded like `/tɕʰy/`, where `/y/` is the IPA symbol for the "ü" sound not found in English but similar to a sound found in French and German.

I know in Pinyin the spellings and sounds for "ü" and "u" are not totally obvious for new learners and I haven't got a grip on this yet.

So is the chart on this website wrong, thus being part of what's hindering my progress, or am I just not hearing or understanding things at all?

**Tags:** pronunciation, pinyin, resources, spelling, websites

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: On the wiki page ["pinyin"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin), there's specially a soundtrack for [/y/](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg). Hmm I assume you've already known this. But you should check this section [The character ü](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin#The_character_.C3.BC), though it is written as `u` in `qù`, actually it is ü, so 去 is the /tɕʰy/ sound.  
> **username_0**: Yes that's what I thought, which means the webpage I linked to is definitely wrong, which means I need to find a similar website without such mistakes (-:  
> **username_1**: Wait, that webpage has mentioned this phenomenon, and it properly marks it as "Special Spelling Exceptions" with orange color: `Treatment of ü: Most syllables with a {ü} are simplified and written with a {u} . The exceptions are {nü, nüe, lü, lüe}`.  
> **username_0**: Yes but it then contradicts itself when you look up the table following the "c" row across and the "u" column down where it gives the pronunciation `tsʰu`. It's either a mistake or a terrible design if you are supposed to look up the wrong pronunciation and then use the special spelling exceptions to convert the wrong pronunciation to the correct pronunciation.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-11-09. Score: 5

I think it is a terrible mistake that the website has made, because there is no occasion when qu is pronounced tsʰu in Mandarin. Since you can actually tell the difference between u and ü, things should be easier for you now. You can just memorise that after (pinyin) j, q, x, y, ü is always written as u, and if you see u after j, q, x, y, it's always pronounced as ü. It shouldn't cause any confusion at least to native speakers because these consonants are never followed by a vowel sound u but only by a ü.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Mistakes like this kind of ruin my confidene in websites to be helpful. I can try to remember this one rule but if I get rusty or doubt it and go to the Internet to check, I might run up against this mistake or others just as bad. I guess with such large tables it can be hard to make sure there are no errors. Thanks for checking it for me!  
> **username_3**: @username_0 You should keep some books at hand, which are generally more reliable than internet sources when it comes to language study.  
> **username_0**: @NS.X.: This is true. I actually have quite a library of language books at home but now I'm on a trip through Asia trying to learn a bit of the language in each country. I'm almost half-way into my 30-day visa but I will be return for a second stay after visiting Mongolia. I'm finding Chinese a lot tougher than I expected.  
> **username_4**: You are mainly right, but I asked someone yesterday about `yu` stuff, I was told that `yu` is an **变写** of `ü`, which cannot be splitted, which means you can't regard it as `y` followed by `ü`, it is just one single thing. it is not exactly the same as `ju`, `qu` and `xu`. You can see this [Q&A](http://www.zhihu.com/question/21997452?qc=1&group_id=108881224#comment-50717762). If you see anywhere that put them together, it is 'quick and dirty' teaching.  
> **username_2**: @username_4 Yeah, I think you're right. It's mainly because y is not a consonant but like half a vowel. However, I don't think you can say the u in yu is not a ü because as it is said in the Q&A you posted, if you think yu is actually yi+u, it should be pronounced /ju/ as in IPA. Also, the reason why we can actually think yu follows the same rule as ju, qu and xu is that in all cases, u in exclusively pronounced as ü instead of u. It's called 互补分布 in traditional phonology. If it's not taught right now, it is still a valid teaching method.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-11-13. Score: 1

There are many accents, but I will try to describe the pronunciation. I don't know phonetic characters, but if you go by an American accent, 去 sounds a lot like "chew" if one were to say it fast, adding more of a "ts" sound at the beginning, with a downward inflection, and emphasize the "ee" sound.

Just listen to people talk, and imitate them.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-11-10. Score: -2

The following is based upon an English accent.

The `u` in `qu` is defiantly more of a `goo` sound, as in the sticky green stuff. As 去 is 4th tone, it is also quite a short sound. This is different to 不, where the `u` is more `oooo, interesting`.

The `q` is more of a `choo choo` sound, rather than a `chip` sound.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So you disagree with username_2's answer - now I am really confused `)-:`  
> **username_1**: @username_0 I think username_6 didn't know there's the [ü(/y/)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg) sound in Chinese. That `u` in `qu` should never ever sound like /u:/.  
> **username_6**: I guess it depends on how you pronounce `boo`. There is a big difference in how you pronounce 不 and 去. I'll clarify.  
> **username_0**: Yes I know my question is a bit "linguisticky" but that's my way of learning languages, and I don't have a native speaker's intuitions.  
> **username_1**: @username_6 I'm just curious as a Chinese native speaker :) Would English native speaker pronounce the `oo` in `goo` like [/y/ (clike to hear)](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Close_front_rounded_vowel.ogg)? My dictionary tells me it sounds /u:/.  
> **username_6**: @username_1 `goo` is not pronounced like that. That link is more of an `ego` sound. There is no (at least to me) exact English sound that can accurately represent 去, so `goo` is a pretty good approximation. Updated answer again.  
> **username_7**: The u in qu has no English equivalent... It's like a German ü.  
> **username_6**: @username_7 Why the down vote? I am only familiar with English, so approximations are all I can offer.  
> **username_7**: Because the answer is misleading and would probably confuse more than help someone searching for an answer. Try looking for some questions where, after reading the existing answers, you think "I definitely have something important to add" or "my answer would serve as a complete answer, better than what's here."  
> **username_0**: @username_6: I think somebody downvoted because English has only one "oo" sound, which is very close to the Chinese "u" sound in Pinyin and less close to the Chinese "ü" sound in Pinyin, but still closer than any other sound. Because both Chinese sounds have the same closest equivalent in English it's not much help. English speakers have to learn also the extra sound "ü". I'm a native English speaker and to me the "oo" sounds in "goo" and "oooo" and "choo choo" are all the same.  
> **username_6**: @username_0 That's fair enough. I'm native English, but these are the sounds that helped me to begin with. Each to their own I guess :)  

---

