Welcome to LearnHowtoChinese! "kΏ! This is an elementary class for pinyin beginners.
If you don t know what pinyin is, click here to watch the pinyin introduction video. Do
you still remember how many initials there are in pinyin? Yes, they re 21 initials +
2 special initials, which I ll talk about in another video. Chinese people organize
the 21 initials into 6 groups based on the positions your lips and tongue make to form
each sound. And in this video, I ll first read all the initial and then I ll walk you
through the pronunciation for the first three groups.
I highly recommend you take out a small mirror to observe your lips and tongue movements
as you learn to pronounce these sounds.
b p m f
d t n l
g k h
j q x
zh ch sh r
z c s
Alright, these are the 21 initials. Let s go through the first three group.
The first group focuses on lip position. It contains 4 initials. b , p , m and f . To
form the sound correctly, first you close your mouth and make sure your tongue is not
touching any parts inside your mouth. For example, look at the three pictures. You want
your tongue to be like the car in the middle of the box. It s not touching the top or the
bottom.
Ready? Take out your mirror and read b x3. Have you noticed that your lips were forming
an o shape? If yes, you are making the right sound. One more thing to make sure you get
it right. Put your hand in front of your mouth and feel the pull of weak air coming out when
you say b . Now use the same technique to read p . This time, you should feel the pull
of air is stronger than that compared to b ? Next, m X3 and f X3. One more time for the 4 initials. b,p,m,f .
The second group focuses on tongue position. It also contains four initials. Now look at
the mirror and say na na na.. do you feel that your jaw is relax while your tongue is
moving up and down? Now use the same technique to read the first two initials d x3. And then
t x3. Be careful, some of you might say da and ta . They are incorrect. Moving on, now
place two figures on your nostrils and read n . Do you feel the vibration on your nose?
Try it again n x3. Next, remain in your same position and read l x3. Alight, read them
all together, d , t n l (Practice videos)
The third group focuses on a soft palate. It contains three initials. You may wonder where your
soft palate is. Look at your mirror and say the word go in English. When you say go , you
are forming the sound with your soft palate. The soft palate is very close to the back
of your mouth near your tonsils and is where your tongue tip can t reach when going backward.
Alright, say the initial g x3. And use the same technique to say k x3 and h x3. Now read
them all together, g , k , h . (Practice videos)
Good job learning and understanding the first three groups of initials. You should feel
good about your accomplishment on pinyin pronunciation. Now click here to do an exercise to make sure
you know how to use and say each pinyin. Happy learning, bye.