Pinyin 3 of 6 · day 3
Where the tongue goes
Three families that English hears as one: j q x with the tongue tip down, z c s at the teeth, zh ch sh r curled up.
What to listen for
- j q x: tip behind the lower teeth, lips spread in a smile. They only ever come before i or ü.
- z c s: tip at the back of the upper teeth — the ts of cats, the ds of kids.
- zh ch sh r: tip curled up toward the roof of the mouth. Heavier, further back than English.
Watch
On the morning ride: watch the mouths and mime the sounds. The listening check below works on the same ride.
Hear the difference
Tap any sound. Native speakers, not a robot voice.
Down · teeth · curled
Same tone, three tongue positions.
Flat or curled
In much of the south these merge — but you'll hear both, and 四 against 是 matters everywhere.
r is not l
Listening check
Ten sounds. Nine right and the unit is solid; below that, replay the pairs you missed and go again.
10 sounds · 9 right is solid
Earbuds in. Each sound plays as its question appears — replay it as often as you like, then pick what you heard.
Say it out loud
At the evening desk: hear a word, say it, record yourself, play both back. Whole words — the tone rides along.
Tutor: The three families side by side — ji zi zhi, qi ci chi, xi si shi — until the tutor can't tell you're guessing.
Native recordings: Chen Wang (syllables) and Yue Tan (words), from the audio-cmn project, CC BY-SA. Source