How to pronounce “hou” in Chinese

hou = h + ou,[xoʊ].Used in 3 tones and 12 words 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.

猴hóu

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.

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吼hǒu

This tone exists, but no HSK 1–3 word uses it yet — practise the sound on its own.

In real speech this tone is mostly LOW, not a full dip-and-rise. Drop to the bottom of your range and stay there; the rise only appears when the syllable is said alone or at the end of a phrase.

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后hòu — back

后天hòu tiān — the day after tomorrow

Start at the top and drop fast, like a firm “No!”. Short and decisive.

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候hou

时候shí hou — time

No pitch shape of its own: short, light, and pitched by whatever came before it.

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The initial: h

[x]

What the mouth does: Back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate and air scrapes through — there is friction, not just breath.
Closest English sound: Between the h in “hat” and the ch in Scottish “loch”, closer to the latter.
Where learners slip: Using the empty English h, which makes hē and ē sound alike.
Drill that fixes it: Whisper “loch” a few times, keep that scrape, then attach the vowel.

The final: -ou

[oʊ]

What the mouth does: Starts on a rounded o and tightens into u.
Closest English sound: The o in “go”.
Where learners slip: Mixing it up with ao — the two glide in different directions.
Drill that fixes it: ao opens then rounds; ou is rounded the whole way. Say them back to back.

“hou” in real words

Every word below comes from the HSK 1–3 vocabulary, so you can practise on words you will actually meet.

Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
shí hou	time	1
yǒu shí hou	sometimes	1
hòu	back	1
hòu tiān	the day after tomorrow	1
hòu bian	the back; the rear; the last bit	1
zuì hòu	final	1
xiǎo shí hou	in one's childhood	2
nà shí hou	at that time	2
hòu lái	afterwards; later	2
rán hòu	then; after that; afterwards	2
yǐ hòu	after	2
jīn hòu	hereafter	2

Tone change you need to know

Two third tones in a row

When a third tone is followed by another third tone, the first one is pronounced as a second tone. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said “ní hǎo”. The writing never changes — only the mouth does.

Third tone before any other tone. Before a first, second or fourth tone, the third tone loses its rise entirely and stays low. This “half third” is what you hear in almost all real sentences.

Syllables you might confuse with this one

One sound apart from this syllable — the pairs that make natives mishear you.

hou → koudifferent initial: k口 kǒu — mouth hou → haodifferent final: ao好 hǎo — good hou → huodifferent final: uo暖和 nuǎn huo — warm hou → hudifferent final: u湖 hú — lake

Questions people ask about this syllable

How do you pronounce “hou” in Chinese?

“hou” is the initial h plus the final ou, pronounced [xoʊ]. Back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate and air scrapes through — there is friction, not just breath. Starts on a rounded o and tightens into u. It occurs in 3 tones, and the tone changes the word completely.

Which mistake do English speakers make on “hou”?

Using the empty English h, which makes hē and ē sound alike. Mixing it up with ao — the two glide in different directions. Fix it like this: Whisper “loch” a few times, keep that scrape, then attach the vowel.

Hearing it right is half the job

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.

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