單母音

發音時，舌位、唇形、開口度始終不變的母音叫單母音。單母音發音時可按舌面隆起的位置分為前母音，後母音和中母音三類。發前母音時舌的最高點在口腔的前部；發後母音時，舌的最高點在口腔的後部；發中母音時舌的最高點在口腔的中部。

以英語母音為例

前母音: [i:] [ i] [ e ] [æ]

中母音: [ʌ][ə:][ə]

後母音: [ɔ] [ɔ:] [u:] [u] [a:]

[i:] sea, he, see, piece, ceiling, street, beef, these, week, meat, agree

[ɪ]sit, build, miss, myth, palace, between, if, give, busy, gym

[e] bed, desk, head, anything, many, again, special, heavy, weather, whether, friendly

[æ] bad, land, bank, stamp, pal, Canada, taxi

[a:] car, fast, class, plant, calm, aunt

[ ɔ] hot, want, wallet, wash, what

[ ɔ:] door, more, sport, ball, warm, author, court, bought, caught

[u:] who, blue, soup,

[u] look, put, woman, could，good

[ ʌ] cup, come, blood, rough

[ ə:] girl, work, serve, nurse

[ə ] cadre, ago, forget, polite, dollar, doctor, famous, Saturday

漢語普通話

拼音：a o e i u ü er

這幾個母音音位還有各自的音位變體

e[ɤ] 在i和ü后的實際發音為[ê]

i 在聲母jqx后的實際發音為[ɩ]，而在聲母zh ch sh r后的實際發音又為[ɿ]

關於韻母er，雖然由兩個字母組合而成，但卻是捲舌的單母音[ə˞]（舌位沒有變化）

[i:] sea, he, see, piece, ceiling, street, beef, these, week, meat, agree

[ɪ]sit, build, miss, myth, palace, between, if, give, busy, gym

[e] bed, desk, head, anything, many, again, special, heavy, weather, whether, friendly

[æ] bad, land, bank, stamp, pal, Canada, taxi

[a:] car, fast, class, plant, calm, aunt

[ ɔ] hot, want, wallet, wash, what

[ 3:] skirt，bink，girl,person,purple,learn

[u:] good, who, blue, soup,

[u] look, put, women, could

[ʌ] cup, come, blood, rough，up

[ ə:] girl, work, serve, nurse

[ə ] cadre, ago, forget, polite, dollar, doctor, famous, Saturday