View source for The "r" sound

{{Pronunciation Box}}

Have you every noticed that the <span class="enpron">"r"</span> sound is different in many foreign languages? English, Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese, German... the <span class="enpron">"r"</span> sound is different in every one. Well, guess what? It's also different in Mandarin Chinese. Pinyin "'''[[r-]]'''" does not make the same sound as <span class="enpron">"r"</span> in English. In fact, the Mandarin Chinese "[[r-]]" sound '''''does not exist''' in English'', so you're going to have to train yourself to make the sound.

{{#widget: Pinyin chart settings}}
<div class="pinyin-table-audio-container"></div>
<div class="table-container"><table class="pinyin-table medium" id="pinyin-table">
<tr><!--   TABLE HEADERS   -->
	<th class="first-row first-col"></th> 
	<th title="Click to expand" class="col-a col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-a-</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-a"><strong>-a</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ai"><strong>-ai</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ao"><strong>-ao</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-an"><strong>-an</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ang"><strong>-ang</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to expand" class="col-e col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-e-</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-e"><strong>-e</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-ei"><strong>-ei</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-en"><strong>-en</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-eng"><strong>-eng</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-er"><strong>-er</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to expand" class="col-o col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-o-</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-o"><strong>-o</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ou"><strong>-ou</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ong"><strong>-ong</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to expand" class="col-i col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-i-</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i"><strong>-i</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i*"><strong>-i*</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ia"><strong>-ia</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iao"><strong>-iao</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ie"><strong>-ie</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iou"><strong>-iou</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ian"><strong>-ian</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iang"><strong>-iang</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-in"><strong>-in</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ing"><strong>-ing</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iong"><strong>-iong</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to expand" class="col-u col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-u-</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-u"><strong>-u</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ua"><strong>-ua</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uai"><strong>-uai</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uei"><strong>-uei</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uo"><strong>-uo</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uan"><strong>-uan</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uang"><strong>-uang</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uen"><strong>-uen</strong></th> 
	<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ueng"><strong>-ueng</strong></th> 
	<th class="first-row last-col"></th>
</tr>

<tr><!--   R- ROW   -->
	<th class="row-zhchshr first-col" id="r-"><strong>r-</strong></th> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a col-placeholder"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a" id="rao"><div class="table-pinyin">rao</div><div class="table-link">[[rao]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐɑʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄠ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jao</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a" id="ran"><div class="table-pinyin">ran</div><div class="table-link">[[ran]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐan]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jan</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-a" id="rang"><div class="table-pinyin">rang</div><div class="table-link">[[rang]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐɑŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄤ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jang</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e col-placeholder"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e" id="re"><div class="table-pinyin">re</div><div class="table-link">[[re]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐɯ̯ʌ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄜ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">je</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e" id="ren"><div class="table-pinyin">ren</div><div class="table-link">[[ren]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jen</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e" id="reng"><div class="table-pinyin">reng</div><div class="table-link">[[reng]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐəŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jeng</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-e"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-o col-placeholder"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-o"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-o" id="rou"><div class="table-pinyin">rou</div><div class="table-link">[[rou]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐɤʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄡ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jou</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-o" id="rong"><div class="table-pinyin">rong</div><div class="table-link">[[rong]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐʊŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jung</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i col-placeholder"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i" id="ri"><div class="table-pinyin">ri</div><div class="table-link">[[ri]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐʅ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jih</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u col-placeholder"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="ru"><div class="table-pinyin">ru</div><div class="table-link">[[ru]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ju</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="rua"><div class="table-pinyin">rua</div><div class="table-link">[[rua]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu̯ɑ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄚ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jua</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="rui"><div class="table-pinyin">rui</div><div class="table-link">[[rui]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu̯eɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jui</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="ruo"><div class="table-pinyin">ruo</div><div class="table-link">[[ruo]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu̯ɔ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄛ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jo</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="ruan"><div class="table-pinyin">ruan</div><div class="table-link">[[ruan]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu̯an]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">juan</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u"></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u" id="run"><div class="table-pinyin">run</div><div class="table-link">[[run]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[ʐu̯ən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄖㄨㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">jun</div></td> 
	<td class="row-zhchshr col-u"></td> 
	<th class="row-zhchshr last-col" id="r-"><strong>r-</strong></th>
</tr>
</table></div>

{{Number in Series|8|Pinyin quick start  guide}}

[[Category:Pinyin]]
{{Basic Pronunciation|A1|37|This is probably an "r" sound unlike any you've ever made before. It doesn't exist in English, but it can be learned!|pinyin|ASP00010}}