All pinyin syllables ›chui
Pinyin syllableHow to pronounce “chui” in Chinese
chui = ch + ui,[ʈʂʰweɪ].Used in 2 tones and 1 word from HSK 1–3.
Hear it, then say it
Tap play for each tone, then record yourself — your pitch curve is drawn on top of the model.
Hold one steady high note, like a doctor’s “aaah”. English has no flat pitch, so it will feel unnaturally robotic — that is correct.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
This tone exists, but no HSK 1–3 word uses it yet — practise the sound on its own.
Rise from the middle to the top, like the English question “huh?”. The rise must reach the top, not stall halfway.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
The initial: ch
[ʈʂʰ]
- What the mouth does
- Same curled-back tongue as zh, released with a strong puff.
- Closest English sound
- The ch in “church” with the tongue further back and the tip curled.
- Where learners slip
- Using the flat English ch, which natives read as q.
- Drill that fixes it
- Alternate ch and q slowly: tip up (ch), tip down (q). Feel the tongue flip.
The final: -ui
[weɪ]
- What the mouth does
- Written ui, pronounced uei — a hidden e sits in the middle.
- Closest English sound
- The “way” in “away”.
- Where learners slip
- Reading it literally as “oo-ee”.
- Drill that fixes it
- Rewrite it: duì is “dwei”, not “du-i”.
“chui” in real words
Every word below comes from the HSK 1–3 vocabulary, so you can practise on words you will actually meet.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| chuī | to blow | 2 |
Syllables you might confuse with this one
One sound apart from this syllable — the pairs that make natives mishear you.
Questions people ask about this syllable
How do you pronounce “chui” in Chinese?
“chui” is the initial ch plus the final ui, pronounced [ʈʂʰweɪ]. Same curled-back tongue as zh, released with a strong puff. Written ui, pronounced uei — a hidden e sits in the middle. It occurs in 2 tones, and the tone changes the word completely.
Which mistake do English speakers make on “chui”?
Using the flat English ch, which natives read as q. Reading it literally as “oo-ee”. Fix it like this: Alternate ch and q slowly: tip up (ch), tip down (q). Feel the tongue flip.
The other half is producing it so a native hears the right tone. The free 2-minute check tells you which syllables are actually your weak ones.