Mandarin Chinese/Pinyin/Consonants

Lesson In pinyin, there are 23 consonants. Do not be alarmed by this number, many are pronounced as they are in English. Here is a list. b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s w y Most of the pronunciations of all these consonants, are similar to those in English. However, there are some exceptions. Exceptions j - Sounds similar to the "gee" in the English word "geese," but shorter and crisper. q - ch as in "cheese" x - sh as in "sheet" zh - j as in "jack" or "John" ch - sounds similar to an English "ch" but slightly deeper. It sounds like "chrr". sh - sounds similar to an English "sh" but slightly deeper. It sounds like "shrr". r - most like the "-ure" part of the English word "pleasure," but with your tongue curled slightly further back. Sounds like "rer".("er" as in her) z - ds as in "kids" or "loads" and may appear at the beginning of the word, such as 早(zǎo,early) c - ts as in "hats", and may appear at the beginning of the word, such as 醋(cù,vinegar) See, Chinese is easier than people say it is. In Short... 23 consonants b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s w y Most are like English Exceptions are j,q,x,zh,ch,sh,r,z and c.