PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

 

Mandarin Chinese is the official state language of mainland China, and pinyin is the official system of romanization in which it is written. As Mandarin is a tonal language, pinyin uses diacritical marks (e.g., ā, á, ǎ, à) to indicate these tonal inflections. Most words use one of four tones, though some (as in “de” in the title below) are a neutral tone. Furthermore, regional variance can change the way native Chinese speakers pronounce the same word. For those reasons and more, please consider the guide below a simplified introduction to pronunciation of select character names and sounds from the world of Thousand Autumns.

More resources are available at sevenseasdanmei.com

NOTE ON SPELLING: Romanized Mandarin Chinese words with identical spelling in pinyin—and even pronunciation—may well have different meanings. These words are more easily differentiated in written Chinese, which uses characters.

 

CHARACTER NAMES

Qiān Qiū

Qiān, approximately chee-yen, but as a single syllable.

Qiū, as in choke.

 

Shěn Qiáo

Shěn, as in the second half of mason.

Qiáo, as in chow.

 

Yàn Wúshī

Yàn, as in yen.

Wú, as in oo.

Shī, a little like shh. The -i is more of a buzzed continuation for the sh- consonant than any equivalent English vowel. See the General Consonants section for more information on the sh- consonant.

 

Qí Fènggé

Qí, as in cheese.

Fèng, a little like fun, but with the nasal ng one would find in song.

Gé, a little like guh.

 

Bái Róng

Bái, as in bye.

Róng, a little like the last part of chaperone. See the General Consonants section for more information on the r- consonant.

 

GENERAL CONSONANTS

Some Mandarin Chinese consonants sound very similar, such as z/c/s and zh/ch/sh. Audio samples will provide the best opportunity to learn the difference between them.

 

X: somewhere between the sh in sheep and s in silk

Q: a very aspirated ch as in cheat

C: ts as in pants

Z: ds as in suds

S: s as in silk

CH: very close to c-, but with the tongue rolled up to touch the palate.

ZH: very close to z-, but with the tongue rolled up to touch the palate.

SH: very close to s-, but with the tongue rolled up to touch the palate. Because of this, it can give the impression of shh, but it’s a different sound compared to the x- consonant.

G: hard g as in graphic

R: partway between the r in run and the s in measure. The tongue should be rolled up to touch the palate.

 

GENERAL VOWELS

The pronunciation of a vowel may depend on its preceding consonant. For example, the “i” in “shi” is distinct from the “i” in “di,” where the first is a buzzed continuation for the sh- consonant and the latter a long e sound. Compound vowels are often—though not always—pronounced as conjoined but separate vowels. You’ll find a few of the trickier compounds below.

 

IU: as in yo-yo

IE: ye as in yes

UO: war as in warm