Chinese Pinyin Lesson 2: Initials 

In the previous lesson, we introduced what Chinese Pinyin is and explained the four tones of Pinyin. We already know that Pinyin consists of three parts: initials, finals and tones.

Let's strike while the iron is hot! Today we will learn another important part of Pinyin, the initials.

Quick Background on Chinese Pinyin Initials

The initials are the consonants used in front of the finals, together with the finals to form a complete Pinyin syllable, if there is one. (Sometimes, there is no initial, only a final, can also constitute a complete syllable).

According to the Scheme of the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet which was officially published in mainland China in 1958, there are 21 initials in Chinese Pinyin. However, in the customary spelling, there are 23 initials, and the extra two are y, w, we call them half vowels in Chinese.

Now let us divide the initials into 7 groups to learn. are you ready?

First Group – b, p, m, f

Second Group – d, t, n, l

Third Group – g, k, h

For g, k, h, you need to use the tongue root bulge against the soft palate to block the sound.

One thing to note is that j, q, and x cannot form a syllable with “u”, but can form a syllable with “ü”. When spelling pinyin, when “j”, “q”, “x” and “ü” meet, the two points of “ü” should be omitted, written as “u”.

j - ü -> ju

q - ü -> qu

x - ü -> xu

Fourth Group – j, q, x

 When pronouncing these sounds, the front of the tongue is against or near the front of the hard palate, and the airflow is obstructed in this part.

Fifth Group – z, c, s

When pronouncing these sounds, the tip of the tongue is pressed against (just slightly touching) or close to the back of the upper tooth, and the airflow is blocked in this part.

Sixth Group – zh, ch, sh, r

When pronouncing these sounds, the tip of the tongue is tilting up and touching the front of the hard palate to block the airflow. This set of initials is also referred to as  “curled tongue initials”, often compared with initials z, c, s, which is called “flat tongue initials”.

Seventh Group – y, w

In the official Pinyin initial system, Scheme of the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, “y” and “w” are not included. They are an orthographic convention for “i”, “u” and “ü” when no initial is present.

They are not real initials, but they appear in the same position as the initials, they are called half vowels in Chinese. To make it simple and easier to use, some people categorize them as initials here.

For example:

For other i, u，ü spelling methods，see the table below.

Another point to note is that when “ü” meets “y”, same as “j”, “q”, “x” the two points of “ü” need to be omitted.

A Few Extras

Sometimes, there are cases where only the finals exist but no initials. That’s for syllables that start with a, o, or e, and we just need to write finals here.

In addition, just as a second review, for the syllables that start with “u”, we use “w” to make syllables complete; and for the syllables that starts with “i” or “ü”, we use “y” instead. And for initials j, q, x, and half vowel y, when they meet final “ü”, two dots of “ü” should be dropped and written as “u”.

Keep Practicing. . .

Today, we have learned 21 initials and 2 half vowels of Chinese Pinyin. You can try to practice these initials by yourself. In the next few lessons, we will learn the finals of Pinyin. By then, you will have more practice material. The more you speak, the more opportunity you’ll get to practice them and the more perfect your Chinese will be! 

If you know any native Chinese-speakers, try and practice what you’ve learned with them.

Good luck and have fun!