Hello! Welcome to your next lesson in mastering Pinyin.
In our last session, you did an excellent job tackling the aspirated and unaspirated initial pairs (b/p, d/t, g/k). The key takeaway was that the difference is a puff of air, not the vocal cord vibration we're used to in English. This is a significant milestone in developing an authentic Mandarin accent.
Today, we continue building our inventory of initial sounds. Our goal is to produce the remaining non-sibilant initials: m, f, n, l, and h. The good news is that most of these are much more straightforward than the pairs you've just learned, having very close equivalents in English. We will, however, pay special attention to the subtle but important characteristics of the h sound.
The "Familiar" Initials: m, f, n, l
We'll start with four initials that should feel very familiar. Analytically, they are produced as follows:
- m: A bilabial nasal sound. You bring your lips together and let the air and sound pass through your nose. It's just like the 'm' in "ma".
- f: A labiodental fricative. You place your upper teeth on your lower lip and push air through the narrow opening. It's identical to the 'f' in "four".
- n: An alveolar nasal. You place the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your upper teeth (the alveolar ridge) and let air pass through your nose. It's like the 'n' in "no".
- l: An alveolar lateral. Your tongue tip is in the same position as for 'n', but you let the air flow around the sides of your tongue. It's just like the 'l' in "low".
The following video provides clear, native pronunciation for you to mimic.
Learn 21 Pinyin Initials within 5 Minutes | Chinese Pronunciation Tutorial in 2020
This short video from KEYs to Chinese demonstrates the pronunciation of 'm', 'f', 'n', and 'l'. It helpfully combines them with the simple final 'a', which you mastered in Module 1.
Watch from 00:50 to 02:15. As the instructor pronounces each initial, first alone (e.g., 'mo', 'fo') and then with 'a' (e.g., 'ma', 'fa'), repeat the sounds aloud. Focus on matching her pronunciation exactly.
As you can hear, these sounds present little difficulty. The main task is simply to commit them to memory as part of the Pinyin system.
The Subtle Initial: h
The Pinyin initial h is the one sound in this group that deserves special attention. While sometimes it can sound like the soft English 'h' in "hello," it is often produced with more friction in the back of the throat.
Phonetically, it's a velar fricative. This means it's produced in the same place as g and k (the velum, or soft palate), but instead of a full stop and release, the air is forced through a narrow passage, creating audible friction.
Let's watch a video that explains this unique quality.
Mandarin Pronunciation: Everything You Need to Know in Under 1 Hour
The 'Mandarin Pronunciation' video from Mandarin Blueprint, which we used in the previous lesson, has an excellent segment that describes the unique 'scratchiness' of the Mandarin 'h'.
Watch the segment from 00:14:25 to 00:15:19. The speaker compares the sound to the 'ch' in the Scottish word 'Loch'. Pay close attention to this 'scratchy' quality. This is the sound you should aim for, as it's a more accurate representation than a soft English 'h'.
To practice this sound, start by forming the k sound from our last lesson. Feel where the back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth. Now, instead of completely blocking and then releasing the air, try to push air through a small gap at that same point. It should create a rasping or hissing sound, like hhhhh.
Now, try combining it with the final e (which sounds like 'uh'): hē (喝, to drink).
Integrated Practice
It's time to combine these new initials with the simple finals you know and practice them with all four tones. We will use an interactive Pinyin chart for listening practice, followed by a table for active recall.
Mandarin Chinese Pinyin Chart with Audio
This interactive Pinyin chart from Yabla is an excellent tool for practice. You can click on any syllable to hear its pronunciation with the first tone.
Find the rows for 'm', 'f', 'n', 'l', and 'h'. Click on the syllables that use the simple finals you already know: a, o, e, u. For example, find the 'm' row and click on 'ma', 'mo', 'me', 'mu'. Listen to the sound and repeat it. Do this for all five new initials. Spend about 10-15 minutes exploring these sounds.
Now, let's practice producing these syllables with all four tones. Say each syllable in the table below aloud. Use the Yabla chart to check your pronunciation if you are unsure. Remember the tone contours from Module 1:
- First tone (¯): High and level
- Second tone (´): Rising
- Third tone (ˇ): Falling then rising
- Fourth tone (`): Sharply falling
| Initial | + a | + o | + e | + u |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| m | mā má mǎ mà | mō mó mǒ mò | mē mé mě mè | mū mú mǔ mù |
| f | fā fá fǎ fà | fō fó fǒ fò | fū fú fǔ fù | |
| n | nā ná nǎ nà | nē né ně nè | nū nú nǔ nù | |
| l | lā lá lǎ là | lē lé lě lè | lū lú lǔ lù | |
| h | hā há hǎ hà | hē hé hě hè | hū hú hǔ hù |
Note: Combinations like fo, ne, le exist, but others like fe, no, lo do not. The table reflects common, valid syllables.
As you practice, focus on two things:
- Making the
hsound fricative and throaty. - Keeping your tones crisp and distinct, especially the falling-rising contour of the third tone.
Consider recording yourself and comparing your sounds to the audio from the Yabla chart.
Conclusion
Well done. You have now learned all of the non-sibilant initials in Mandarin. This is a major step toward being able to pronounce any Pinyin syllable you encounter.
Your key takeaways from this lesson are:
- The initials
m,f,n, andlare pronounced almost exactly as they are in English. - The initial
his a velar fricative, produced with friction in the back of the throat, giving it a "scratchy" quality distinct from the soft English 'h'.
In our next lesson, we will confront the most challenging set of initials: the sibilants. These are the "hissing" sounds, which are grouped into three distinct families: z/c/s, zh/ch/sh/r, and j/q/x. Mastering them is crucial for clear pronunciation, and the solid foundation you've built so far will be essential for that task.