Difference between revisions of "The "j" "q" and "x" sounds"

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To learn to make these new sounds, start with the pinyin "[[x-]]" sound. You may have heard that it's pronounced like English <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> or seen it written as the somewhat confusing "''hs''." Neither of these is particularly helpful; you just have to learn to make a new sound.
 
To learn to make these new sounds, start with the pinyin "[[x-]]" sound. You may have heard that it's pronounced like English <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> or seen it written as the somewhat confusing "''hs''." Neither of these is particularly helpful; you just have to learn to make a new sound.
  
−
To make the pinyin "[[x-]]" sound, try to make a <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> sound while the tip of your tongue is down, below your lower front teeth. This ''should'' feel weird, because this is not something you normally do in English. If the ''tip'' of your tongue is ''down'', however, the ''middle'' of your tongue will rise to the roof of your mouth to make the sound.
+
[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-x-diagram.jpg|200px|thumb|left]]
 +
To make the pinyin "[[x-]]" sound, try to make a <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> sound while the ''tip'' of your tongue is down, below your lower front teeth. The ''middle'' of your tongue should rise to the roof of your mouth to make the sound. This ''should'' feel weird, because this is not something you normally do in English.
  
 
One way you know you're making the "[[x-]]" sound correctly is that you can comfortably smile while you make it, whereas it's a bit difficult to do this with the <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[x-]]" sound with first is "[[xi]]". Then move on to the super-common word "xièxie" (meaning "thank you").
 
One way you know you're making the "[[x-]]" sound correctly is that you can comfortably smile while you make it, whereas it's a bit difficult to do this with the <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[x-]]" sound with first is "[[xi]]". Then move on to the super-common word "xièxie" (meaning "thank you").
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Let's take a look at all the syllables we can now say:
 
Let's take a look at all the syllables we can now say:
  
−
* [[xi]]: easy; rhymes with [[yi]], [[mi]], etc.
+
<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
−
* [[xia]]: rhymes with [[ya]]
+
<tr>
−
* [[xiao]]: rhymes with [[yao]]
+
        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
−
* [[xie]]: rhymes with [[ye]]
+
<th width="15%">Pinyin</th>
−
* [[xiu]]: there's an "o" dropped here; it's pronounced "xiou" and rhymes with [[you]]
+
        <th width="77%">Explanation</th>
−
* [[xian]]: rhymes with [[yan]]; this "-an" means an <span class="enpron">"en"</span> sound
+
</tr>
−
* [[xiang]]: rhymes with [[yang]]
+
<tr>
−
* [[xin]]: rhymes with [[yin]]
+
        <td>{{Audio-player|xi1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
−
* [[xing]]: rhymes with [[ying]]
+
<td>xi</td>
−
* [[xiong]]: rhymes with [[yong]]
+
        <td>easy; rhymes with [[yi]], [[mi]], etc.</td>
−
* [[xu]]: this is the [[x-]] sound with the [[-ü]] vowel (remember; that "u" is written without the two dots, just like "[[yu]]", but it is actually an "ü" sound!)
+
</tr>
−
* [[xue]]: [[xu]] + <span class="enpron">"eh"</span> (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)
+
<tr>
−
* [[xuan]]: this is [[xu]] + <span class="enpron">"en"</span>, like the "-an" in "[[yan]]". You could also pronounce this like [[xue]] + [[-n]] (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)
+
        <td>{{Audio-player|xia1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
−
* [[xun]]: ryhmes with [[yun]] (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)
+
<td>xia</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[ya]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xiao1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xiao</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[yao]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xie1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xie</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[ye]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xiu1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xiu</td>
 +
        <td>there's an "o" dropped here; it's pronounced "xiou" and rhymes with [[you]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xian1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xian</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[yan]]; this "-an" means an <span class="enpron">"en"</span> sound</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xiang1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xiang</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[yang]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xin|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xin</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[yin]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xing1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xing</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[ying]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xiong1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xiong</td>
 +
        <td>rhymes with [[yong]]</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xu1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xu</td>
 +
        <td>this is the x- sound with the -ü vowel (remember; that "u" is written without the two dots, just like "[[yu]]", but it is actually an "ü" sound!)</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xue1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xue</td>
 +
        <td>xu + <span class="enpron">"eh"</span> (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xuan1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xuan</td>
 +
        <td>this is [[xu]] + <span class="enpron">"en"</span>, like the "-an" in "[[yan]]". You could also pronounce this like [[xue]] + [[-n]] (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|xun1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>xun</td>
 +
        <td>ryhmes with [[yun]] (remember: that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
</table>
 +
 
 +
(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)
  
 
== Pronouncing Pinyin's "q" Sound ==
 
== Pronouncing Pinyin's "q" Sound ==
  
 +
[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-q-diagram.jpg|200px|thumb|right]]
 
Once you can make the "[[x-]]" sound, move on to the "[[q-]]" sound. Again, the pinyin "[[q-]]" sound is not the same as the English <span class="enpron">"ch"</span> sound, although it may sound similar to you at first, and some inaccurate pronunciation guides will tell you they're the same. (If they were really the same, why concoct a "[[q-]]" sound at all??)
 
Once you can make the "[[x-]]" sound, move on to the "[[q-]]" sound. Again, the pinyin "[[q-]]" sound is not the same as the English <span class="enpron">"ch"</span> sound, although it may sound similar to you at first, and some inaccurate pronunciation guides will tell you they're the same. (If they were really the same, why concoct a "[[q-]]" sound at all??)
  
 
Pinyin's "[[x-]]" and "[[q-]]" sounds are very similar to each other, in the same way that <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> and <span class="enpron">"ch"</span> sounds are similar to each other (in English as well as in Chinese). You're basically adding a "t" sound to the front of the "[[x-]]" to get the "[[q-]]" sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[q-]]" sound with first is "[[qi]]".
 
Pinyin's "[[x-]]" and "[[q-]]" sounds are very similar to each other, in the same way that <span class="enpron">"sh"</span> and <span class="enpron">"ch"</span> sounds are similar to each other (in English as well as in Chinese). You're basically adding a "t" sound to the front of the "[[x-]]" to get the "[[q-]]" sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[q-]]" sound with first is "[[qi]]".
  
−
For individual syllable with "[[q-]]", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with Q's. All the same logic applies.
+
For individual syllable with "[[q-]]", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with Q's. All the same logic applies. Let's take a look at just a few of the syllables we can now say:
 +
 
 +
<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
 +
<tr>
 +
        <th width="10%">Audio</th>
 +
<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
 +
        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
 +
<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|qi1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>qi</td>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|qie1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>qie</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|qiu1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>qiu</td>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|qian1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>qian</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
</table>
 +
 
 +
(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)
  
 
== Pronouncing Pinyin's "j" Sound ==
 
== Pronouncing Pinyin's "j" Sound ==
  
 +
[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-j-diagram.jpg|200px|thumb|right]]
 
Finally, move on to "[[j-]]", which is not the same as the English <span class="enpron">"j"</span> sound. The tip of your tongue should be down behind your lower front teeth when making this sound, just as it is for the "[[x-]]" and "[[q-]]" sounds. If you try to make an English <span class="enpron">"j"</span> sounds with your tongue in this new position, you should be to make the pinyin "[[j-]]" sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[j-]]" sound with first is "[[ji]]".
 
Finally, move on to "[[j-]]", which is not the same as the English <span class="enpron">"j"</span> sound. The tip of your tongue should be down behind your lower front teeth when making this sound, just as it is for the "[[x-]]" and "[[q-]]" sounds. If you try to make an English <span class="enpron">"j"</span> sounds with your tongue in this new position, you should be to make the pinyin "[[j-]]" sound. A good syllable to practice the "[[j-]]" sound with first is "[[ji]]".
  
−
For individual syllable with "[[j-]]", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with J's. All the same logic applies.
+
For individual syllable with "[[j-]]", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with J's. All the same logic applies. Let's take a look at just a few of the syllables we can now say:
 +
 
 +
<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
 +
<tr>
 +
        <th width="10%">Audio</th>
 +
<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
 +
        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
 +
<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|ju1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>ju</td>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|jiang1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>jiang</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
<tr>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|jin1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>jin</td>
 +
        <td>{{Audio-player|jing1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
 +
<td>jing</td>
 +
</tr>
 +
</table>
 +
 
 +
(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)
  
 
== Pinyin Chart with Audio ==
 
== Pinyin Chart with Audio ==

Latest revision as of 07:01, 14 May 2020

You've reached the end of the road! We've saved something special for you, though. The Chinese sounds represented by "x-", "q-", and "j-" in pinyin do not exist in English, and require you to train your mouth to make totally new sounds. Hopefully that sounds like fun! It's not as hard as you might imagine.

Pronouncing Pinyin's "x" Sound

To learn to make these new sounds, start with the pinyin "x-" sound. You may have heard that it's pronounced like English "sh" or seen it written as the somewhat confusing "hs." Neither of these is particularly helpful; you just have to learn to make a new sound.

AllSet-PronWiki-x-diagram.jpg

To make the pinyin "x-" sound, try to make a "sh" sound while the tip of your tongue is down, below your lower front teeth. The middle of your tongue should rise to the roof of your mouth to make the sound. This should feel weird, because this is not something you normally do in English.

One way you know you're making the "x-" sound correctly is that you can comfortably smile while you make it, whereas it's a bit difficult to do this with the "sh" sound. A good syllable to practice the "x-" sound with first is "xi". Then move on to the super-common word "xièxie" (meaning "thank you").

Let's take a look at all the syllables we can now say:

Audio Pinyin Explanation
xi easy; rhymes with yi, mi, etc.
xia rhymes with ya
xiao rhymes with yao
xie rhymes with ye
xiu there's an "o" dropped here; it's pronounced "xiou" and rhymes with you
xian rhymes with yan; this "-an" means an "en" sound
xiang rhymes with yang
xin rhymes with yin
xing rhymes with ying
xiong rhymes with yong
xu this is the x- sound with the -ü vowel (remember; that "u" is written without the two dots, just like "yu", but it is actually an "ü" sound!)
xue xu + "eh" (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)
xuan this is xu + "en", like the "-an" in "yan". You could also pronounce this like xue + -n (remember; that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)
xun ryhmes with yun (remember: that "u" is actually a "ü" sound!)

(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)

Pronouncing Pinyin's "q" Sound

AllSet-PronWiki-q-diagram.jpg

Once you can make the "x-" sound, move on to the "q-" sound. Again, the pinyin "q-" sound is not the same as the English "ch" sound, although it may sound similar to you at first, and some inaccurate pronunciation guides will tell you they're the same. (If they were really the same, why concoct a "q-" sound at all??)

Pinyin's "x-" and "q-" sounds are very similar to each other, in the same way that "sh" and "ch" sounds are similar to each other (in English as well as in Chinese). You're basically adding a "t" sound to the front of the "x-" to get the "q-" sound. A good syllable to practice the "q-" sound with first is "qi".

For individual syllable with "q-", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with Q's. All the same logic applies. Let's take a look at just a few of the syllables we can now say:

Audio Pinyin Audio Pinyin
qi
qie
qiu
qian

(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)

Pronouncing Pinyin's "j" Sound

AllSet-PronWiki-j-diagram.jpg

Finally, move on to "j-", which is not the same as the English "j" sound. The tip of your tongue should be down behind your lower front teeth when making this sound, just as it is for the "x-" and "q-" sounds. If you try to make an English "j" sounds with your tongue in this new position, you should be to make the pinyin "j-" sound. A good syllable to practice the "j-" sound with first is "ji".

For individual syllable with "j-", just apply all the comments under "x" above, replacing all the X's with J's. All the same logic applies. Let's take a look at just a few of the syllables we can now say:

Audio Pinyin Audio Pinyin
ju
jiang
jin
jing

(Those are all first tone. First tone is most commonly used when introducing syllables in Mandarin Chinese.)

Pinyin Chart with Audio

In the chart below, you'll notice that a bunch of the vowels are missing. There is no "a" vowel, no "o" vowel, and no "u" vowel. Those is because pinyin "j-", "q-", and "x-" simply do not combine with those vowels at all. Every time you see a "u" vowel in the chart below, it's actually a "ü" vowel written as "u" for convenience (and a quick check of the column title will make that clear).

Tone: 1 2 3 4 1234 [Show more Settings]

Additional Settings

Show Text: IPA Zhuyin Wade-Giles

Text Size: Small Medium Large

Chart Mode: Audio Links (disables audio)

-a- -e- -o- -i- -i -i* -ia -iao -ie -iou -ian -iang -in -ing -iong -u- -ü- -ü -üe -üan -ün
j-
ji
ji
[tɕi]
ㄐㄧ
chi
jia
jia
[tɕi̯ɑ]
ㄐㄧㄚ
chia
jiao
jiao
[tɕi̯ɑʊ̯]
ㄐㄧㄠ
chiao
jie
jie
[tɕiɛ]
ㄐㄧㄝ
chieh
jiu
jiu
[tɕi̯ɤʊ̯]
ㄐㄧㄡ
chiu
jian
jian
[tɕiɛn]
ㄐㄧㄢ
chien
jiang
jiang
[tɕi̯ɑŋ]
ㄐㄧㄤ
chiang
jin
jin
[tɕin]
ㄐㄧㄣ
chin
jing
jing
[tɕiŋ]
ㄐㄧㄥ
ching
jiong
jiong
[tɕi̯ʊŋ]
ㄐㄩㄥ
chiung
ju
ju
[tɕy]
ㄐㄩ
chü
jue
jue
[tɕy̯œ]
ㄐㄩㄝ
chüeh
juan
juan
[tɕy̯ɛn]
ㄐㄩㄢ
chüan
jun
jun
[tɕyn]
ㄐㄩㄣ
chün
 j-
q-
qi
qi
[tɕʰi]
ㄑㄧ
ch'i
qia
qia
[tɕʰi̯ɑ]
ㄑㄧㄚ
ch'ia
qiao
qiao
[tɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯]
ㄑㄧㄠ
ch'iao
qie
qie
[tɕʰiɛ]
ㄑㄧㄝ
ch'ieh
qiu
qiu
[tɕʰi̯ɤʊ̯]
ㄑㄧㄡ
ch'iu
qian
qian
[tɕʰiɛn]
ㄑㄧㄢ
ch'ien
qiang
qiang
[tɕʰi̯ɑŋ]
ㄑㄧㄤ
ch'iang
qin
qin
[tɕʰin]
ㄑㄧㄣ
ch'in
qing
qing
[tɕʰiŋ]
ㄑㄧㄥ
ch'ing
qiong
qiong
[tɕʰi̯ʊŋ]
ㄑㄩㄥ
ch'iung
qu
qu
[tɕʰy]
ㄑㄩ
ch'ü
que
que
[tɕʰy̯œ]
ㄑㄩㄝ
ch'üeh
quan
quan
[tɕʰy̯ɛn]
ㄑㄩㄢ
ch'üan
qun
qun
[tɕʰyn]
ㄑㄩㄣ
ch'ün
 q-
x-
xi
xi
[ɕi]
ㄒㄧ
his
xia
xia
[ɕi̯ɑ]
ㄒㄧㄚ
hsia
xiao
xiao
[ɕi̯ɑʊ̯]
ㄒㄧㄠ
hsiao
xie
xie
[ɕiɛ]
ㄒㄧㄝ
hsieh
xiu
xiu
[ɕi̯ɤʊ̯]
ㄒㄧㄡ
hsiu
xian
xian
[ɕiɛn]
ㄒㄧㄢ
hsien
xiang
xiang
[ɕi̯ɑŋ]
ㄒㄧㄤ
hsiang
xin
xin
[ɕin]
ㄒㄧㄣ
hsin
xing
xing
[ɕiŋ]
ㄒㄧㄥ
hsing
xiong
xiong
[ɕi̯ʊŋ]
ㄒㄩㄥ
hsiung
xu
xu
[ɕy]
ㄒㄩ
hsü
xue
xue
[ɕy̯œ]
ㄒㄩㄝ
hsüeh
xuan
xuan
[ɕy̯ɛn]
ㄒㄩㄢ
hsüan
xun
xun
[ɕyn]
ㄒㄩㄣ
hsün
 x-
-a- -e- -o- -i- -i -i* -ia -iao -ie -iou -ian -iang -in -ing -iong -u- -ü- -ü -üe -üan -ün

After studying these sounds, be sure to take a look at how they fit in with the larger context of the pinyin chart.

Key Takeaways

  1. The Mandarin Chinese sounds written "x-", "q-", and "j-" do not exist in English; don't let anyone tell you otherwise
  2. Start with "x-", if you can make that sound, it shouldn't be hard to make "q-" and then "j-"
  3. When you make the "x-" sound, make sure that the tip of your tongue is down, behind your lower front teeth (and same position for pinyin "q-" and "j-"), and that you can smile as you make it
  4. Whenever you see the vowel "u" after an "x-", "q-", or "j-", it is actually the "ü" vowel in disguise

Review the "Gotchas"

If you're like most people, there are certain pinyin syllables that are really easy to get wrong. This really is a lot of information to absorb. We've collected all the points that learners are most likely to forget on the pinyin gotchas page. Please refer to this for review!


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