NetChai · Introductory · Lesson 02

Chinese Pinyin第二课 汉语拼音

VOL. 02 NETCHAI ORIGINAL TEXT
Introductory · Lesson 2

01Introduction

In Lesson 2 we study pronunciation and pinyin. Trying to perfect your pronunciation right from the start takes a very long time, so for now it is enough to get a general sense of what sounds exist in Chinese and what pinyin spellings are used for them.

First, repeat after your teacher once through. We will go into more detail in future lessons.

Vowel Table 36

Single Vowels a o e i u ü
Compound Vowels ai ao ou ei ia ie iao iou(iu) ua uo uai uei(ui) üe
Front Nasal Finals (-n) an en ian in uan uen üan ün
Back Nasal Finals (-ng) ang ong eng iang ing iong uang ueng
Retroflex Vowel (er) er

Consonant Table 21

Unaspirated Aspirated Nasal Fricative Voiced
Labials (lip sounds)b(o)p(o)m(o)f(o)
Alveolars (tongue-tip)d(e)t(e)n(e)l(e)
Velars (tongue-root)g(e)k(e)h(e)
Palatals (tongue-surface)j(i)q(i)x(i)
Dental Sibilantsz(i)c(i)s(i)
Retroflex (curled tongue)zh(i)ch(i)sh(i)r(i)
Note: Practice tip
Consonants are difficult to practise in isolation, so use the vowel shown in parentheses ( ) alongside each one.

02Practice

Ask your teacher to correct your pronunciation.

① Chinese Numbers (1–10)

1
èr
2
sān
3
4
5
liù
6
7
8
jiǔ
9
shí
10

② Pronunciation Practice

At this stage, focus on pronouncing the words aloud — that is enough for now.

No.PinyinCharacterMeaning
1I / me
2you
3he / him
4she / her
5wǒmen我们we / us
6nǐmen你们you (plural)
7tāmen他们they / them
8bà ba爸爸dad / father
9māma妈妈mom / mother
10gēge哥哥older brother
11jiějie姐姐older sister
12dìdi弟弟younger brother
13mèimei妹妹younger sister
14yéye爷爷grandfather (paternal)
15nǎinai奶奶grandmother (paternal)