6. The Final yu

Cantonese SoundIPASimilar English Sound
Final yu[yː]There is no similar English sound for the final yu.
If you speak French, the final yu is similar to u as in tu.

The final yu is formed by the vowel yu alone.

Step 1  Listen to the final yu.

yu

Step 2  Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.

yu

Tongue Position: Raise the front of your tongue toward your hard palate until they are almost in contact. You will feel the left and right sides of your tongue touch your upper teeth.
Lip Shape: Round your lips tightly. Your lips will move forward.

Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge

Note that although the final yu has the letter y in the front, we don’t add the English y sound (as in the word yes) when we say the final yu. Don’t be confused by the letter y. Listen.

It is [yː], but not [jyː] with the [j] sound.

💡 Tips

If you find it difficult to produce the final yu, try the following trick. First, say the final i. Then, while keeping your tongue at the same position, round your lips tightly and you will get the final yu.

Listen.

i → yu

Practice  Practice saying the syllables with the final yu. Listen and repeat.

  1. z ‒ yu ‒ zyu1
  2. s ‒ yu ‒ syu4
  3. c ‒ yu ‒ cyu5