Chinese Pinyin in 6 Mins

our teacher showed us that its so funny

谢谢

Whereas zh, ch, sh sound rough and raspy (with the tongue curled back behind your teeth), j, q, x sound much lighter like a bird cheeping. The j almost sounds closer to English ch (which is why Tai Ji sounds like Tai Chi to us). Chinese sounds are hard to do at first but not that hard when you get used to them. Just keep practising! :)

J, q and x are also like j, ch and sh which is why it's confusing. In English the closest we have is j, ch and sh, which is different to both sets of sounds in Chinese.

To make j, q, x try opening your mouth as wide as you can to the side as if you're smiling, keep your teeth open and put your tongue between your teeth. Now say "jeep, cheap, sheep". Make the sounds really soft but squeeze your tongue as if you're hissing. Make sure you the sound is smooth.

hen hao！

This teaches you basics, which are used in every syllable. The sounds aren't limited to those in this video.

I know...

But their sound volcabulary is very small compared to other languages

Zh, ch and sh are basically like English j (in "judge"), ch (in "church") and sh (in "shirt"), but pronounced with the tongue curled back so they sound like they have a lot of friction (try closing your teeth and tightening your mouth a bit). Same goes for r and s.

C is like ts like in "tsunami" or "tsetse fly" or "waltz", or "what's up?".
Z is like dz as in "kids", "dads", "dad's apples" or Italian "mozzarella".

then how do i say j, q and x?

Are you a foreigner ? Because there's a difference, :) A big difference to me. Don't worry, keep repeating after it because I'm not sure if I can explain by typing. You'll get it if you keep listening. :).