curriculum/challenges/english/blocks/zh-a1-learn-compound-finals/6c2294cc9b36b4bf2ba83d74.md
To pronounce the compound final ao, you begin with your mouth open wide for the a sound, then smoothly transition your tongue and lips toward the position for o.
The movement should be fluid, with no break between the two sounds. The a is emphasized slightly longer, while the o is shorter and lighter, resulting in a natural glide rather than two separate vowels.
When ao is combined with the initials, you get the syllables like bao, dao, gao, kao, zao, and chao.
Let's practice pronouncing these syllables, and then use zao in different tones as an example.
| Pinyin | Character |
|---|---|
zāo | 遭 |
záo | 凿 |
zǎo | 早 |
zào | 造 |
I've listened to the audio and practiced pronouncing the compound final and syllables.
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"audio": {
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"text": "ao",
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"dialogue": {
"text": "bao",
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"startTime": 5.06,
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"dialogue": {
"text": "dao",
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"startTime": 7.18,
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"dialogue": {
"text": "gao",
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"startTime": 9.65,
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"dialogue": {
"text": "kao",
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"character": "Lin Yating",
"startTime": 12.17,
"finishTime": 13.16,
"dialogue": {
"text": "zao",
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"startTime": 14.57,
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"dialogue": {
"text": "chao",
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"dialogue": {
"text": "zāo",
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"dialogue": {
"text": "záo",
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},
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"dialogue": {
"text": "zǎo",
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"dialogue": {
"text": "zào",
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