Consonants

The following consonants:  p, f, t, k, h, q, x, c, s, ch and sh are aspirated sounds. If you put your palm in front of your mouth when you are reading out these letters, you will feel the air being exhaled. Read the following consonants after me in the first tone  you will be practising your vowels as well.

b p m f d t n l g k h j q x z c s r zh ch sh

______________________________________

 

bō                      +  ō

"b" as in boy

______________________________________________________________

 

pō                       + ō

"p" as in poor

 

________________________________________________________

 

mō                                                         + ō

"m" as in mother

________________________________________________________

 

fō                                                              + ō

"f" as in fruit

________________________________________________________

 

dē                                                 +  ē

"d" as in dad

_______________________________________________________

 

tē                                                +       ē

"t" as in tea

________________________________________________________

 

nē                                                           +  ē

"n" as in nurse

 ______________________________________________________________

 

lē                                                         +  ē

"l" as in love

_______________________________________________________________

 

gē                                                            +   ē

"g" as in gloves

_______________________________________________________________

 

kē                          +          ē

"k" as in kite

_______________________________________________________________

 

hē                     +  ē

"h" as in horse

_______________________________________________________________

 

 jī                                                              +   ī

"j" as in jump

______________________________________________________________

 

qī                                                             +  ī

"q" (ch) as in cheese

________________________________________________________

 

xī                       +  ī

                                                                  

"x" (sh) as in sheep

______________________________________________________________

 

When you read out the following letters close your teeth, but not too tightly. Place your tongue so that it is just vibrating against the back of your upper front teeth. N.B: the vowel “i” should NOT be pronounced in this case. The (here soundless) letter “i” is placed after z, c and s in written Pinyin as a vehicle for indicating the tones.

zī

When you say z you should feel a buzz behind your upper front teeth. ________________________________________________________

 

cī            

 

Blow the air out as you make a short buzzing sound. Your tongue should be looser than in “z”.

________________________________________________________

 

sī                    S

 

Close your teeth and blow over your tongue.

________________________________________________________

 

Roll your tongue back in the roof of your mouth. It should just touch your hard palate as you say “r”.

rī                                           

 

N.B: the vowel “i” should NOT be pronounced in this case. The (here soundless) letter “i” is placed after r, zh, ch and sh in written Pinyin as a vehicle for indicating the tones. _______________________________________________________

 

Roll your tongue back in the roof of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should stay pressing up towards your hard palate. Squeeze the air out over your tongue.

zhī                      zh    

________________________________________________________

 

Roll your tongue back in the roof of your mouth. The tip of your tongue should stay pressing up towards your hard palate. Blow the air out over your tongue, making a slightly harder sound than in zhi.

chī                        ch 

________________________________________________________

 

Roll your tongue back in the roof of your mouth so that it just touches your hard palate as you say “sh”.

shī                      sh   

 

________________________________________________________