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1: 声母: "J Q X" and "Zh Ch Sh"

声母 (shēngmǔ): "J Q X" and "Zh Ch Sh"

Tones in Mandarin

Each syllable in Mandarin has a tone, which can completely change its meaning:

Tone Mark Example Different Meanings
1st (High) ā mā 妈 (mother)
2nd (Rising) á má 麻 (hemp)
3rd (Low-dipping) ǎ mǎ 马 (horse)
4th (Falling) à mà 骂 (scold)
Neutral a ma 吗 (question particle)

声母 (shēngmǔ) - 前音 (qián yīn): "J Q X"

Chinese Sound Similar to (but not equivalent) Important Notes
j "ge" in "regime" Tongue position closer to "ee" sound. Keep tongue raised near front of mouth
q Same as 'j' but with blocked air release Like 'j' but aspirated (extra puff of air when released)
x "sh" with tongue in "ee" position Tongue raised and forward against roof of mouth, like "ee" position

声母 (shēngmǔ) - 卷舌音 (juǎn shé yīn): "Zh Ch Sh"

Chinese Sound Similar to (but not equivalent) Important Notes
zhi "jr" sound with curled tongue Tongue curls back (retroflex). Keep tip pointed up and back
chi "chr" with curled tongue Retroflex position, stronger aspiration than "zhi"
shi "shr" with curled tongue Retroflex position, but with friction rather than aspiration

Important Rules

  • J, Q, X can only be used with 'i' and 'ü' sounds and their variations
  • Zh, Ch, Sh work with most other vowels
  • Q is the aspirated version of J (same sound but with extra puff of air when released)

Individual Characters

Character Pinyin Meaning
声 shēng sound/voice
母 mǔ mother
前 qián front
音 yīn sound
卷 juǎn roll/curl
舌 shé tongue
妈 mā mother
爸 bà father
早 zǎo early/morning
上 shàng up/above
好 hǎo good
山 shān mountain

Exercise

Using the individual characters above, can you:

  1. Break down these phrases into their individual characters and explain what each character means:

    • 妈妈
    • 爸爸
    • 早上好

  2. Explain how the tones work in each character of these phrases:

    • māma
    • bàba
    • zǎoshàng hǎo
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