Pinyin chart · niu

How to say niu

niu in all four tones, said in a female or a male voice. Tap a tone to hear it.

niu

Tap a tone to hear it; tap it again to hear it slower.

Voice

How to say it

n: As in English “n”.

iou: Written iu after a consonant (liu, jiu): a short o is said between the i and the u, most clearly in the third and fourth tones.

Its tones

niū 妞 girl · niú 牛 cow · niǔ 扭 to turn · niù 拗 stubborn. The pinyin trainer practices telling them apart in real words.

Spelling

  • iou is written iu after a consonant.

Sounds near it

Learners often mix niu up with these. Listen to them one after the other.

Words with niu

The voices are generated speech (ElevenLabs), the same two the app’s word cards use, each tone said as one real word. The words are from the official HSK list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus), easiest first. Every syllable is on the pinyin chart.