Other Consonants
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    • note
    The consonants m, n, l, and f are exactly as they are in English.


    note
    Note that p/t/k all carry a puff of air (aspiration), whereas b/d/g have no puff of air. The "p" consonant is like the p in English "pie" (IPA: /pʰ/). The "b" consonant is like the p in English "spy" and is not voiced like the b in "bye". Speakers of languages like French, Spanish, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese will notice that pinyin "b", "d" and "g" equate to the p/t/k consonants in those languages.








    note
    R is one of the more complex consonants in Mandarin Chinese (IPA: /ɻ/). It is somewhat similar to the r in English, especially US English. It is not a trilled r like in Spanish and Italian. Note there is a degree of variation in how this sound is pronounced. For some speakers it is pronounced as /ʐ/ (the same as Russian zh/ж). In the south some people can't pronounce it at all and will substitute another sound such as l.


    note
    R is a retroflex (curled tongue) consonant and is part of the same family as zh, ch and sh. When pronouncing "zhi, chi, shi, ri" the tongue does not have to move at all.


    note
    Words where both syllables begin with r. The meanings aren't important, just listen carefully to the pronunciation.


    note
    Finally, let's take a look at h. This is generally pronounced in a rough throaty manner like the ch in Scottish "loch", or like the j in Spanish "José" (IPA: /x/). However, it can also be pronounced just like the h in English "hello" (IPA: /h/). These two pronunciations exist in free variation and the same speaker may use both. Some southerners use /h/ exclusively and the throaty pronunciation is more common in the north.


    note
    Words where both syllables begin with h.
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