ü vs u and ü vs i

How to tell them apart

ü is an ee with rounded lips: say yi, keep your tongue where it is and round your lips as for oo. u is oo, the tongue pulled back. So 路 lù and 绿 lǜ differ only in where the tongue sits.

After j, q, x and y pinyin drops the dots, so ju, qu, xu and yu are all ü and never the u of wu. After n and l the dots stay, because there both are possible.

Questions

What is the difference between ü or i, ü or u in pinyin?

ü is an ee with rounded lips: say yi, keep your tongue where it is and round your lips as for oo.

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.