How to pronounce yuan in Chinese: 元 (yuán)
Yuan is pronounced yuán: one syllable, said like yü-en, with a rising second tone, and written 元 (ㄩㄢˊ in 注音). It is not you-wan or yoo-ann: the yu is the rounded ü vowel, as in German über or French tu.
Standard and spoken
Our native speaker recorded 元 twice: standard, slow and clear like a textbook, and spoken, at normal speed. Both lines are drawn on the same time scale.
In the standard recording, 元 starts low, dips a little, then rises to the top of her voice. The small dip at the start is normal for a second tone.
In the spoken recording, it is shorter and the rise ends in the upper middle of her voice, but it is still low first, then up. Said flat, as English speakers often say yuan, the tone is gone.
The syllable
- 元Second tone. Round your lips for ü (say ee with rounded lips), then open to en. The pinyin spelling yu hides the ü.
Common mistakes
- Saying you-ahn, in two syllables.One syllable: ü (rounded ee), then en.
- Saying it flat, with no tone.Start low, then rise clearly in the second half.
- Saying yuan for every price.In speech, prices use 塊 (kuài): 十塊.
Common phrases and replies
- 一百元100 yuan / 100 dollars元 is the written unit for prices in Taiwan and the mainland.
- 塊dollar, buck (spoken)In speech people usually say 塊: 十塊 (shí kuài), ten dollars.
- 人民幣renminbi, China's currencyIts unit is the yuan.
- 新臺幣New Taiwan dollarTaiwan's currency; its unit is also 元.
Taiwan and mainland
In Taiwan the unit of the New Taiwan dollar is also 元, and banknotes print the formal 圓. In speech, both Taiwan and the mainland usually say 塊 (kuài) for prices: 五十塊 is fifty dollars.
Practise it out loud
Say it and see your pitch drawn over the recording.
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Questions
How do you pronounce yuan in English?
The closest English is yü-en, one syllable: round your lips as for oo, say ee, then en. Most English speakers say you-ahn, which a Chinese listener may not catch.
Is yuan the same as renminbi?
Renminbi (人民幣) is the name of China's currency; the yuan (元) is its unit, like pound sterling and pound. Taiwan's dollar is also counted in 元.
Why does 元 dip before it rises?
Many second-tone syllables start with a small dip, especially in Taiwan speech. What matters is the clear rise in the second half. A deep, low dip with a late rise would sound like a third tone.
What tone is yuan?
Second tone, the rising tone, marked with ˊ: yuán. In 注音 it is ㄩㄢˊ.