an vs ang, en vs eng, in vs ing

How to tell them apart

A final -n ends with the tongue tip on the ridge behind the top teeth; -ng ends at the back, the back of the tongue raised and the tip down, as in English “sing”. The vowel moves too: the a of an is said further forward than the a of ang, which is darker.

Listen to how each one ends: an stops short and bright, ang rings on. Many southern speakers merge in and ing, en and eng, so those are the hardest pairs here.

Questions

What is the difference between an or ang, in or ing in pinyin?

A final -n ends with the tongue tip on the ridge behind the top teeth; -ng ends at the back, the back of the tongue raised and the tip down, as in English “sing”.

What is a minimal pair in Mandarin?

Two syllables that differ by one sound and nothing else, such as zhī and zī, or fàn and fàng. Hearing them apart is the first step to saying them apart, and to understanding fast speech.

Practise the tones too

Tone pair chart: all 20 tone pairs, each a word to hear. Pinyin trainer: hear a word and name its tones. Tone practice: say a word and see your pitch over a native speaker’s. Pinyin chart: every syllable in all four tones.