lˈaɪk ɐn ˈælfəbˌɛt, ðə fˈoʊniːmz ʌv sˈɪləbəl ɪnˈɪʃəlz ɑːɹ ɹˌɛpɹᵻzˈɛntᵻd baɪ ˌɪndᵻvˈɪdʒuːəl sˈɪmbəlz, bˌʌt lˈaɪk ɐ sˈɪlɐbˌɛɹi, ðə fˈoʊniːmz ʌvðə sˈɪləbəl fˈaɪnəlz ɑːɹ nˈɑːt; ˈiːtʃ pˈɑːsᵻbəl fˈaɪnəl ɛksklˈuːdɪŋ ðə mˈiːdiːəl ɡlˈaɪd hɐz ɪts ˈoʊn kˈæɹɪktɚ, ɐn ɛɡzˈæmpəl bˌiːɪŋ lˈuːən ɹˈɪʔn̩ æz tʃˈaɪniːzlˌɛɾɚ tʃˈaɪniːzlˌɛɾɚ tʃˈaɪniːzlˌɛɾɚ ˈɛljˈuːæn.
Like an alphabet, the phonemes of syllable initials are represented by individual symbols, but like a syllabary, the phonemes of the syllable finals are not; each possible final (excluding the medial glide) has its own character, an example being luan written as ㄌㄨㄢ (l-u-an).