In (Mandarin) Chinese there are 21 first noises, as well as 2 unique personalities that sometimes function as initials noises (we’ll get to those last).

Initial noises can be split into 2 categories; appears pronounced like English as well as appears that are not. The first set of initial audios are noticable similarly you would pronounce them in English. These are b, m, f, n, l, h, and s. Click on the Chinese character to hear the instances pronounced.

#1. Pronunciation Guide of 4 Initials in Pinyin: b,p,m,f

There are all together 23 initials in Chinese Pinyin, in terms of position, they usually come at first of one syllable. A syllable can stand without an initial, but a syllable must have a final.

b is an unaspirated consonant, and b is not voiced. It is similiar to the “p” in the English word “spend”.

p is aspirated, which means that you can feel a puff of air coming out of your mouth when pronouncing the p sound. p is not voiced as well.

m is pronounced similiar to /m/ in English word “mode”.

f is pronounced similiar to /f/ in English word “fox”.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using b p m f

In this part, we will learn some Pinyin that use these four initials with their Chinese characters. Please listen to the audio to differentiate these sounds, and then repeat with the audio.

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: b, p, m, f

Listen to the audio first, and then practice the following Pinyin with the initials b,p,m,f.

#2. Pronunciation guide of 4 Initials in Pinyin: d,t,n,l

d is an unaspirated consonant, when pronouncing d, let the idea of your tongue to touch the gum tissue of the upper teeth. d is not voiced.
t is aspirated, hence you can feel a puff of air coming out of your mouth when pronouncing the t audio. t is not voiced also.
When pronouncing n, keep in mind to let the air come through your nose. n is a nasal noise and is similiar to its English matching.
To pronounce l sound, first you need to roll up your tongue and let the tip of your tongue to touch the hard palate, let the air come out from the sides of your tongue, just like how you pronounce the L in English, prolong it.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using d t n l

In this part, we will find out some Pinyin that utilize these four initials with their Chinese characters. Please pay attention to the audio to distinguish these sounds, and afterwards repeat with the audio.

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: d, t, n, l

Pay attention to the sound initially, and afterwards practice the adhering to Pinyin with the initials d, t, n, l.

#3. Pronunciation guide of 3 Initials in Pinyin: g,k,h

Note: Here are the finals which can be combined with g, k and h.
1) Simple final: a,e,u;
2) Compound finals which start with a, e or u.

g is an unaspirated consonant and g is not voiced. When pronouncing g, retreat your tongue . g is similiar to its English counterpart.
k is aspirated and also not voiced. When pronouncing k, the back of your tongue is lifted against the soft palate and you can feel the air coming out of your mouth.
When pronouncing h , you can feel that there is a puff of air coming through your mouth and there is a friction.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using g k h

In this part, we will learn some Pinyin that use these four initials with their Chinese characters. Please listen to the audio to differentiate these sounds, and then repeat with the audio.

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: g, k, h

Listen to the audio first, and then practice the following Pinyin with the initials: g,k,h.

#4. Pronunciation guide of 3 Initials in Pinyin: j,q,x

j is an unaspirated consonant and the vocal cords do not vibrate. To make the “j” sound, you need to put the tip of your tongue against the back of your lower teeth, and then loosen the tongue to make the air come out.
q is aspirated. We can use the same manner to pronounce q, but the puff of the air would be much stronger.
To pronounce x , raise the front of the tongue toward but not touch the hard palate and then let the air squeeze out. An useful trick is to pull the corners of your mouth straight back to squeeze a smile.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using j q x

In this part, we will learn some Pinyin that use these three initials with their Chinese characters. Please listen to the audio to differentiate these sounds, and then repeat with the audio.

Note:
1) The finals that can be combined with “j”,”q”,”x” are limited to “i”,”u” and compound finals that start with “i” or “u”.
2) When “j”,”q” and “x” are combined with “ü” or a compound final which start with “ü, the umlaut is omitted and the “ü” appears as u.”

j	＋		꓿	ju
q	＋		꓿	qu
x	＋		꓿	xu

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: j, q, x

Listen to the audio first, and then practice the following Pinyin with the initials j,q,x.

#5. Pronunciation guide of 4 Initials in Pinyin: zh, ch, sh, r

Examples of Chinese Characters Using zh ch sh r

In this part, we will certainly find out some Pinyin that utilize these 3 initials with their Chinese personalities. Please listen to the audio to distinguish these sounds, and afterwards roll up the pointer of your tongue against/toward the difficult taste and also repeat with the audio.

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: zh, ch, sh, r

Pay attention to the sound first, and afterwards practice the complying with Pinyin with the initials zh, ch, sh, r.

#6. Pronunciation guide of 5 Initials in Pinyin: z, c, s, y, w

Keep in mind: Take notice of the locations where the idea of the tongue is when pronouncing z, c, s.

z	To pronounce z, think of the final sound in the English word “Buzz”, prolong it, and that’s z. When pronouncing z, your tongue should touch the back of the upper teeth.
c	c is similar to the English “ts” in the word “cats” and it is an aspirated sound. In the same way, when pronouncing c, your tongue should touch the back of the upper teeth.
s	s is very easy to pronounce as it is similar to the “s”” in English word “s”it”, but make sure to make it longer when you pronounce it.
Notes: The letters “y” and “w” are not included in the table of initials in the official pinyin system. They are an orthographic convention for “i”, “u” and “ü” when no initial is present. When “i”, “u” or “ü” are finals and no initial is present, they are spelled “yi”, “wu”, and “yu”, respectively. The letters “y” and “w” are called “half vowels” in Chinese, to make it simple and easier to use, I categorize them as initials here.
y	y sounds exactly the same as “i”, but “i” can not stand at the beginning of one syllable but y can. To pronounce y, make a smiling face, spread your mouth and make the sound out.
w	w is the conversion of “u” when no initial is present. To pronounce w, round your lips like you are going to whistle.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using z, c, s, y, w

In this component, we will certainly learn some Pinyin that use these five initials with their Chinese personalities. Please listen to the audio to distinguish these audios, and after that repeat with the sound.

Pronunciation Drills of Initials: z, c, s, y, w

Listen to the audio first, and then practice the following Pinyin with the initials z, c, s, y, w.