Learn Chinese Pinyin: A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Sounds193

Introduction

Pinyin is the romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese. It was developed in the 1950s to promote literacy and facilitate communication between Chinese speakers and non-native learners. Pinyin is based on the sounds of the Chinese language, and it uses a combination of letters and numbers to represent each sound.

Learning Pinyin is essential for any non-native learner of Chinese. It provides a solid foundation for understanding the sounds of the language, and it is also crucial for reading and writing Chinese characters. In this guide, we will cover all the Pinyin sounds, including the consonants, vowels, and tones. We will also provide exercises and tips to help you practice and improve your pronunciation.

Consonants

There are 21 consonant sounds in Pinyin.

Pinyin
IPA
Example
Translation

b
[p]
北京 (Běijīng)
Beijing

p
[pʰ]
普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà)
Mandarin

m
[m]
妈妈 (Māma)
Mother

f
[f]
飞机 (Fēijī)
Airplane

d
[t]
弟弟 (Dìdi)
Younger brother

t
[tʰ]
桌子 (Zhuōzi)
Table

n
[n]
奶奶 (Nǎinai)
Grandmother

l
[l]
老师 (Lǎoshī)
Teacher

g
[k]
哥哥 (Gēge)
Older brother

k
[kʰ]
筷子 (Kuàizi)
Chopsticks

h
[x]
汉语 (Hànyǔ)
Chinese language

j
[tɕ]
姐姐 (Jiějiě)
Older sister

q
[tɕʰ]
青色 (Qīngsè)
Green color

x
[ɕ]
谢谢 (Xièxie)
Thank you

zh
[tʂ]
中国 (Zhōngguó)
China

ch
[tʂʰ]
吃 (Chī)
To eat

sh
[ʂ]
上海 (Shànghǎi)
Shanghai

r
[ʐ]
热水 (Rèshuǐ)
Hot water

z
[ts]
字 (Zì)
Character

c
[tsʰ]
草 (Cǎo)
Grass

s
[s]
书 (Shū)
Book

Vowels

There are 37 vowel sounds in Pinyin. They are divided into two main groups: simple vowels and diphthongs.

Simple vowels are pronounced with one single vowel sound.

Pinyin
IPA
Example
Translation

a
[ɑ]
爸爸 (Bàba)
Father

o
[ɔ]
哥哥 (Gēge)
Older brother

e
[e]
妹妹 (Mèimei)
Younger sister

ê
[ɛ]
北京 (Běijīng)
Beijing

i
[i]
弟弟 (Dìdi)
Younger brother

u
[u]
叔叔 (Shūshu)
Uncle

ü
[y]
弟弟 (Dìdi)
Younger brother