b玻bō
Also try
Like "b" in "spin" — no puff of air. The classroom name is followed by a very light, short o, not a full "boh" (bō).
Chinese Initials 声母
Mandarin has 21 initials. They are grouped below by where they are pronounced — lips, tongue tip, back of the mouth. Read the guide for each one, then tap Listen or Slow to hear its anchor character from a native voice.
Labials
b p m f"b" is unaspirated (no puff of air); "p" is aspirated (strong puff — like blowing out a candle). "m" closes the lips and hums; "f" is a soft blowing sound.
p坡pō
Also try
Like "p" in "park" — with a strong puff of air. Followed by a very light, short o (pō).
m摸mō
Also try
Like "m" in "more" — lips closed and humming. Followed by a very light, short o (mō).
f佛fó
Also try
Like "f" in "fun". No first-tone syllable exists for fo — fó (Buddha) is the standard reading; 发 fā is a common first-tone alternative.
Alveolars
d t n l"d" is unaspirated, "t" takes a strong puff — the same contrast as b/p. "n" and "l" are voiced: n hums through the nose, l lets the air pass at the sides of the tongue.
d的de
Also try
Like "d" in "stop" — no puff of air. The standard classroom reading is the light neutral 的 de (a soft, short "duh").
t特tè
Also try
Like "t" in "top" — with a strong puff of air. No first-tone syllable exists for te — tè is standard; 他 tā is a first-tone alternative.
n呢ne
Also try
Like "n" in "no" — voiced, through the nose. The standard reading is the light neutral 呢 ne, like the n hum in "button".
l了le
Also try
Like "l" in "let" — air passes at the sides of the tongue. The standard reading is the light neutral 了 le.
Velars
g k h"g" is unaspirated, "k" takes a strong puff. "h" is breathy and produced further back than the English "h".
g哥gē
Also try
Like "g" in "go" — no puff of air; softer than the English "g". Followed by a very light, short e (gē).
k科kē
Also try
Like "k" in "kite" — with a strong puff of air. Followed by a light, short e (kē).
h喝hē
Also try
Like "h" in "her", but breathier — as if fogging up a mirror, from further back in the mouth.
Palatals
j q xj q x only combine with i and ü sounds. The lips must be spread (a smile), never rounded. "j" is unaspirated, "q" takes a strong puff.
j基jī
Also try
Like "j" in "jeep", but lips spread in a smile and the tongue flat behind the lower teeth. No puff of air (jī).
q欺qī
Also try
Between English "ch" and "ts" with a strong puff of air; lips spread, tongue forward (qī).
x希xī
Also try
Like "sh" in "she", but with spread lips and the tongue forward — softer and smoother than English "sh" (xī).
Retroflexes
zh ch sh rCurl the tongue tip up toward the roof of the mouth. "zh" is unaspirated, "ch" takes a strong puff, "sh" is a deep "sh", and "r" is its buzzing, voiced partner.
zh知zhī
Also try
Like "j" in "judge", but the tongue tip curls up to the roof of the mouth (zhī). No puff of air.
ch蚩chī
Also try
Like "ch" in "church" with a strong puff of air; tongue tip curled up (chī).
sh诗shī
Also try
Like "sh" in "shirt" with the tongue tip curled up — deeper and hollower than English "sh" (shī).
r日rì
Also try
Like "r" in "run", but the tongue tip curls up with a light buzzing friction. No first-tone syllable exists for ri — rì is standard; 扔 rēng is a first-tone alternative.
Sibilants
z c sThe tongue tip stays right behind the front teeth. "z" is an unaspirated "ds", "c" an aspirated "ts", "s" a plain "s". They never take the same vowel as 衣 i.
z资zī
Also try
Like "ds" in "kids" — no puff of air, tongue tip behind the front teeth (zī).
c疵cī
Also try
Like "ts" in "cats" — with a strong puff of air. The character 疵 cī keeps the first tone.
s思sī
Also try
Like "s" in "sun", with the tongue tip just behind the front teeth (sī).
The initial never carries the tone
The anchors 佛, 特 and 日 exist only so the consonant can be heard — the initial itself has no tone. The same initial can start any tone; all four characters below share one consonant. Press "Play all four" and listen to the very beginning of each syllable: it is identical every time. The tone number always belongs to the whole syllable, never to the initial.
f
发fā烦fán粉fěn放fàng
t
他tā谈tán毯tǎn烫tàng
r
扔rēng人rén忍rěn认rèn