LingoDrop
Chinese · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "女人" in Chinese?
nü-RUN: a low sagging first syllable with the rounded front ü, then a rising second with a retroflex buzz.
nǚrén
A trough followed by a climb, and no conversion since rén rises. The word is worth practising for its lip choreography rather than its tones: the lips are pursed for nǚ and then must flatten completely for rén, and any leftover rounding on the r pulls it straight toward the English sound.
Listen: 女人
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
那个女人在笑。
Nàge nǚrén zài xiào.
The woman is smiling.
Listen: 那个女人在笑。
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那个女人在笑。 gives nà falling, ge toneless, nǚ dipping, rén rising, zài falling, xiào falling. Nǚ keeps its full descent because rén climbs. Two consecutive falls at the end need separate resets rather than merging into one slide, and the sentence finishes at the bottom of the range.
Where English speakers slip
The ü is the main casualty, replaced by a plain "oo" so the syllable becomes "noo". That is a different vowel and, in other words, a different meaning. Say "nee", freeze the tongue, then round the lips. The second error is carrying that rounding into the r, which reintroduces exactly the English lip position you are trying to avoid.