Pronunciation of Initials
The initials can be divided into three types:
Normal: These are pronounced like in English.
Aspirated: Pronounced like y in English, but are said with a strong puff of air at the end of the consonant.
Pronunciation Pattern: These initials don't directly correspond to any English letters or sounds. They use a pronunciation rule that has to be memorized. The initials that follow this pattern are shown as red in the left column.
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Initial
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How They Sound
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Pronunciation Notes
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b
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Like the p is spy, not the b in bye
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Corresponds closer to the sounds of a p
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p
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Like the p in pun
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Aspirated
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m
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Like the m in man
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f
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Like the f in for
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d
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Like the d in den
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t
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Like the t in tongue
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Aspirated
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n
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Like the n in no
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l
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Like the l in letter
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g
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Like the k is sky, not the g in good
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More like a soft unaspirated k
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k
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Like the k in kite
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Aspirated
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h
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Like the h in hot
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j
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Like the j in jeans
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Sounds like gee, but unaspirated
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like the ch in the word reach
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x
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Like the sh in she
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Said like a slightly longer she
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z
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Like the ds in buds
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c
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Like the ts in cats
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Aspirated
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s
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Like s in the word sun
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zh
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Like the G in German
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Said with your tongue pulled slightly back into your mouth. The sound is made from the back of your tongue tip (it takes a bit of getting used to). These are sometimes called the "retroflex initials"
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ch
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Like the zh above, but aspirated
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sh
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Like the sh in shoe
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r
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Like the r in run
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