1. The Vowel Endings are—a, e, i, au, o, oo, oe, eu, u, ui, ia, iau, ieu, and ie.
2. The Nasal Endings are—(a) an, en, ien and oen, in which the n is not sounded, but lengthens out and imparts a nasal quality to the preceding vowel; (b) ang, aung, oong, (or ong), ung and iang, in which ng has the value of ng in song, but is often nearer the French n in bon; (c) uin, in which n is sonant and has a value varying between n and ng.
3. The Abrupt Vowel Endings are—ak, ah, eh, ih, auh, ok, oeh, uh, and iak, in which h and k are the signs of the zeh-sung (入聲), and the vowel is pronounced in a short, abrupt manner.
The sounds of the vowels are—
a as in far, except when followed by n or h, when it has the sound of a in man or mat.
e as in prey; before h it has the sound of e as in met.
i „ caprice; before h or ng it is shortened to i as in mit or sing.
au as in August.
o or oo as ou in though or in through. It is really a combination of these two sounds, and is modified by its environment.
oe as in Goethe (German ö).