What are the main or basic vowels in Pinyin?

The Basic Vowels: a, o, e, i, u, ü
Main Chinese Vowels in Pinyin
There are 6 main vowels in Pinyin which are: a, o, e, i, u, and ü. These 6 vowels are the most basic vowels that beginners need to learn from single-vowel Pinyin.

Let’s take a look at the table below.
SINGLE VOWEL PRONUNCIATION
a Pronounce with mouth wide open.
o Pronounce with making “O” shape mouth.
e Pronounce like you are smiling.
i Pronounce with biting your teeth.
u Pronounce with lips fully rounded.
ü Pronounced like the ü in German, or making the sound ‘shhhhh’.

Example
FINAL CHARACTER MEANING PRONUNCIATION AS IN ENGLISH PINYIN
a 妈 Mother Mother mā  
o 摸 Touch Modern mō  
e 热 Hot Serve rè  
i 一 One Insect yī  
u 五 Five Wool wǔ  
ü 鱼 Fish ü in German yú  

SINGLE VOWELS
ā   á   ǎ   à  
ō   ó   ǒ   ò  
ē   é   ě   è  
ī   í   ǐ   ì  
ū   ú   ǔ   ù  
ǖ   ǘ   ǚ   ǜ  

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