<p>Very interesting question!</p>

<p>嗯 is pronounced as <strong>ǹg，ńg，ňg，ǹ，ń，ň</strong>. </p>

<p>ńg, ń: means <em>what？</em>, or 什么？It expresses surprise or raise a question.</p>

<p>ǹg，ǹ: means <em>I get it, I know it</em>, or <em>好，我知道了</em></p>

<p>ňg，ň: means <em>no, I don't want that</em>, we say 嗯，不是，... </p>

<p>The way to pronounce ǹ，ń，ň is that you put your tongue in the place while you pronounce the phonetic notation /n/ in English and then apply the tones. </p>

<p>To pronounce ǹg，ńg，ňg , put your tongue in the place while you pronounce [ŋ] and then apply the tones. </p>

<p>Of course, <strong>ǹg，ńg，ňg，ǹ，ń，ň</strong> are unusual pronunciations in Chinese. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T12:35:51.850Z
Thanks! So you mean the pronounciation is different between "ńg, ń" and "éng, én"? I thought they pronounce exactly the same. Wish I could hear an audio how to pronounce this word. I tried to listen in Google Translate, and it seems the pronounciation sounded like "eng". Anyway, do the Chinese really pronounce this word as it is (i.e. "n, ng") instead of the usual way "hm"?
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T12:54:43.743Z
Yes there is a difference between ng, n and eng, en.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T00:18:04.403Z
@Reynaldi, we don't usually say *hm* in Chinese. 嗯 and 啊 are used frequently.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T01:21:01.950Z
I see. That's interesting to know!
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T11:33:07.627Z
2018-02-01T11:40:31.887Z
2018-02-01T11:40:31.887Z
dan
<p><strong>嗯</strong> pronunciations with meanings and sources:</p>

<p><strong>ǹg</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>INTERJECTION
  [expressing agreement or assent] m-hm; uh-huh</p>
  
  <p>你有空吧？——嗯。 
  Nǐ yǒukòng ba？ —— ǹg.
  Are you free?—M-hm. </p>
  
  <p>他嗯了一声, 就走了。 
  Tā ǹg le yī shēng, jiù zǒu le.
  He murmured assent and left. -(PLC)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ń</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>INTERJECTION
  [in questions] eh</p>
  
  <p>嗯, 你说什么？ 
  Ng, nǐ shuō shénme？
  Eh? What did you say? -(PLC)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ńg</strong> (similar to: ń)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>INTJ.
  What?; Huh? -(ABC)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ňg</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>INTERJECTION
  [showing surprise or disapproval] hey; what!</p>
  
  <p>嗯！怎么又不见了？ 
  ňg! Zěnme yòu bù jiàn le？
  Hey! It’s disappeared again. </p>
  
  <p>嗯, 你怎么还没去？ 
  ňg, nǐ zěnme hái méi qù？
  What! Haven’t you left yet? -(PLC)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ň</strong> (similar to: ňg)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>{interjection} Why,...! Hey,...! (used to express surprise) -(KEY)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ǹ</strong> (similar to: ǹg)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>EXCLAM
  {interjection} hm, then... (indicates thinking, often prefacing a question) -(KEY)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>en</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>interjection indicating approval, appreciation or agreement -(CC-CEDCIT)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>g</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>EXCLAMATION [expressing agreement] -(oxford)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ēn</strong>​</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(a groaning sound) -(CC-CEDCIT)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ěn</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>see: ňg -(PLC)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>èn​</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>1 (nonverbal grunt as interjection) </p>
  
  <p>2 OK, yeah </p>
  
  <p>3 what? -(CC-CEDCICT)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>éng</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>叹 &lt;口> 表示疑问</p>
  
  <p>嗯?你怎么不说话了? | 你说什么, 嗯? -(规范)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ěng</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>叹 &lt;口> 表示不以为然或出乎意料</p>
  
  <p>嗯, 没有那么严重吧! | 嗯, 怎么会呢! -(规范)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>èng</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>叹 &lt;口> 表示应诺</p>
  
  <p>嗯, 就照你说的办吧 | (在电话中)嗯, 嗯, 你说吧。 -(规范)</p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>ng</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>INTERJ
  (used after a question to reinforce questioning)</p>
  
  <p>你把自行车借给谁了, 嗯? 
  Nǐ bǎ zìxíngchē jiègei shuí le, ng?
  Who did you lend your bicycle to, eh? -(Tuttle)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T13:20:32.793Z
In 新华字典， there are no *en, eng* listed. Only *n, ng* there.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T15:07:24.750Z
The meaning of each tone (2,3,4) of "n, ng" and "en, eng" is pretty much the same. But still, they're pronounced differently, right? Also, when it is used in daily conversation, do we have to pronounce this word as the pinyin? Or is it acceptable to pronounce usual "hm"?
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T21:10:23.063Z
You mean pronounced “hm” like the English “hm”? I don’t believe this pronunciation exists in Chinese. The closest would be 哼 pronounced *hng*, similar to *hm* but still quite different. N, ng, en, eng are all pronounced differently - hence the different pinyin. The meanings are similar but there are still slight nuances to each.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T13:07:55.157Z
2018-02-01T13:07:55.157Z
Mou某
<p>If you are asking for Pinyin, it should be "en". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-08T01:18:20.973Z
So, you're saying that "n, ng" is not correct? Why is it written like such in most dictionaries, even in Google Translate?
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-09T02:27:05.517Z
In Chinese Pinyin, it is incorrect to have "n" or "ng". You may have "n" but "n" cannot be stand alone. Please look under the section of Pinyin in wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bopomofo

"Ng" is not a word. It should not be written in any dictionary. If you see one, please show reference. If you ever see someone who has ng in their name, that is either because their language (likely Cantonese) does not have proper roomaji-like spellings, or immigration office randomly provided them a last name.
user3019766
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-09T02:51:30.273Z
Please see @user3306356♦'s answer. Also I have provided one of the references from [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%97%AF) in my question. It is said that "n" and "ng" are pinyin, as well as "en". I also found in some dictionaries, e.g. [dict.cn](http://dict.cn/%E5%97%AF), [chinese-tools.com](http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?q=%E5%97%AF), [Pinpn Dictionary](http://dictionary.pinpinchinese.com/definitions/t/%E5%97%AF-en-n).
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-18T02:59:05.023Z
Quote:-  "Ng" is not a word". As you know it is a Fujian dialect surname. (in Mandarin it would be "Wu", 吴） "Ng" is unpronounceable in English and so many of my friends while studying in the UK got called Mr. / Miss N-G, sounding out the two alphabets.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-07T16:22:59.893Z
2018-02-07T16:22:59.893Z
user3019766
<p>I've seen the word "嗯" many times in conversations and songs. I know that it pronounces like "<strong>hm</strong>", expressing curiosity. But when I check the pinyin of it, according to <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%97%AF" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wiktionary</a>, it is like such:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>ńg, ń, en</p>
</blockquote>

<p>which for me doesn't seem to sound like the way it pronounces. Why do they differ?</p>

<p>And what's more, I've never seen the pinyin like "<strong>ńg, ń</strong>", particularly for the tone mark, which should be placed on top of vowels instead of consonants. They seem to pronounce like "<strong>éng, én</strong>", which are valid <a href="http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/mandarin1/4417" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nasal finals</a>. Are those pinyin valid? If so, why it's not written as such: "<strong>éng, én</strong>"?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T10:56:28.897Z
I count at least 15 different pronunciations for 嗯, including **éng**, with different meanings for different pronunciations.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T12:42:36.310Z
I found only 8 pronounciation in Wiktionary. It would be great if you share what they are and how they are pronounced!
Reynaldi
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-01T13:08:28.323Z
Check my answer.
Mou某
<pronunciation><pinyin>
Pinyin vs. Pronunciation of 嗯?
# Pinyin vs. Pronunciation of 嗯?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-01)

I've seen the word "嗯" many times in conversations and songs. I know that it pronounces like "**hm**", expressing curiosity. But when I check the pinyin of it, according to [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%97%AF), it is like such:

> ńg, ń, en

which for me doesn't seem to sound like the way it pronounces. Why do they differ?

And what's more, I've never seen the pinyin like "**ńg, ń**", particularly for the tone mark, which should be placed on top of vowels instead of consonants. They seem to pronounce like "**éng, én**", which are valid [nasal finals](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/mandarin1/4417). Are those pinyin valid? If so, why it's not written as such: "**éng, én**"?

**Tags:** pronunciation, pinyin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I count at least 15 different pronunciations for 嗯, including **éng**, with different meanings for different pronunciations.  
> **username_0**: I found only 8 pronounciation in Wiktionary. It would be great if you share what they are and how they are pronounced!  
> **username_1**: Check my answer.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-02-01. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Very interesting question!

嗯 is pronounced as **ǹg，ńg，ňg，ǹ，ń，ň**.

ńg, ń: means *what？*, or 什么？It expresses surprise or raise a question.

ǹg，ǹ: means *I get it, I know it*, or *好，我知道了*

ňg，ň: means *no, I don't want that*, we say 嗯，不是，...

The way to pronounce ǹ，ń，ň is that you put your tongue in the place while you pronounce the phonetic notation /n/ in English and then apply the tones.

To pronounce ǹg，ńg，ňg , put your tongue in the place while you pronounce [ŋ] and then apply the tones.

Of course, **ǹg，ńg，ňg，ǹ，ń，ň** are unusual pronunciations in Chinese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! So you mean the pronounciation is different between "ńg, ń" and "éng, én"? I thought they pronounce exactly the same. Wish I could hear an audio how to pronounce this word. I tried to listen in Google Translate, and it seems the pronounciation sounded like "eng". Anyway, do the Chinese really pronounce this word as it is (i.e. "n, ng") instead of the usual way "hm"?  
> **username_2**: Yes there is a difference between ng, n and eng, en.  
> **username_2**: @username_0, we don't usually say *hm* in Chinese. 嗯 and 啊 are used frequently.  
> **username_0**: I see. That's interesting to know!  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-02-01. Score: 3

**嗯** pronunciations with meanings and sources:

**ǹg**

> INTERJECTION
> [expressing agreement or assent] m-hm; uh-huh
>
> 你有空吧？——嗯。
> Nǐ yǒukòng ba？ —— ǹg.
> Are you free?—M-hm.
>
> 他嗯了一声, 就走了。
> Tā ǹg le yī shēng, jiù zǒu le.
> He murmured assent and left. -(PLC)

**ń**

> INTERJECTION
> [in questions] eh
>
> 嗯, 你说什么？
> Ng, nǐ shuō shénme？
> Eh? What did you say? -(PLC)

**ńg** (similar to: ń)

> INTJ.
> What?; Huh? -(ABC)

**ňg**

> INTERJECTION
> [showing surprise or disapproval] hey; what!
>
> 嗯！怎么又不见了？
> ňg! Zěnme yòu bù jiàn le？
> Hey! It’s disappeared again.
>
> 嗯, 你怎么还没去？
> ňg, nǐ zěnme hái méi qù？
> What! Haven’t you left yet? -(PLC)

**ň** (similar to: ňg)

> {interjection} Why,...! Hey,...! (used to express surprise) -(KEY)

**ǹ** (similar to: ǹg)

> EXCLAM
> {interjection} hm, then... (indicates thinking, often prefacing a question) -(KEY)

**en**

> interjection indicating approval, appreciation or agreement -(CC-CEDCIT)

**g**

> EXCLAMATION [expressing agreement] -(oxford)

**ēn**​

> (a groaning sound) -(CC-CEDCIT)

**ěn**

> see: ňg -(PLC)

**èn​**

> 1 (nonverbal grunt as interjection)
>
> 2 OK, yeah
>
> 3 what? -(CC-CEDCICT)

**éng**

> 叹 <口> 表示疑问
>
> 嗯?你怎么不说话了? | 你说什么, 嗯? -(规范)

**ěng**

> 叹 <口> 表示不以为然或出乎意料
>
> 嗯, 没有那么严重吧! | 嗯, 怎么会呢! -(规范)

**èng**

> 叹 <口> 表示应诺
>
> 嗯, 就照你说的办吧 | (在电话中)嗯, 嗯, 你说吧。 -(规范)

**ng**

> INTERJ
> (used after a question to reinforce questioning)
>
> 你把自行车借给谁了, 嗯?
> Nǐ bǎ zìxíngchē jiègei shuí le, ng?
> Who did you lend your bicycle to, eh? -(Tuttle)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: In 新华字典， there are no *en, eng* listed. Only *n, ng* there.  
> **username_0**: The meaning of each tone (2,3,4) of "n, ng" and "en, eng" is pretty much the same. But still, they're pronounced differently, right? Also, when it is used in daily conversation, do we have to pronounce this word as the pinyin? Or is it acceptable to pronounce usual "hm"?  
> **username_1**: You mean pronounced “hm” like the English “hm”? I don’t believe this pronunciation exists in Chinese. The closest would be 哼 pronounced *hng*, similar to *hm* but still quite different. N, ng, en, eng are all pronounced differently - hence the different pinyin. The meanings are similar but there are still slight nuances to each.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-07. Score: -1

If you are asking for Pinyin, it should be "en".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So, you're saying that "n, ng" is not correct? Why is it written like such in most dictionaries, even in Google Translate?  
> **username_3**: In Chinese Pinyin, it is incorrect to have "n" or "ng". You may have "n" but "n" cannot be stand alone. Please look under the section of Pinyin in wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bopomofo  "Ng" is not a word. It should not be written in any dictionary. If you see one, please show reference. If you ever see someone who has ng in their name, that is either because their language (likely Cantonese) does not have proper roomaji-like spellings, or immigration office randomly provided them a last name.  
> **username_0**: Please see @user3306356♦'s answer. Also I have provided one of the references from [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%97%AF) in my question. It is said that "n" and "ng" are pinyin, as well as "en". I also found in some dictionaries, e.g. [dict.cn](http://dict.cn/%E5%97%AF), [chinese-tools.com](http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?q=%E5%97%AF), [Pinpn Dictionary](http://dictionary.pinpinchinese.com/definitions/t/%E5%97%AF-en-n).  
> **username_4**: Quote:-  "Ng" is not a word". As you know it is a Fujian dialect surname. (in Mandarin it would be "Wu", 吴） "Ng" is unpronounceable in English and so many of my friends while studying in the UK got called Mr. / Miss N-G, sounding out the two alphabets.  

---

