Difference between revisions of "The "r" sound"
 
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{{Pronunciation Box}}
 
{{Pronunciation Box}}
  
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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.
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Have you every noticed that the "r" 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.
  
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{{#widget: Pinyin chart settings}}
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== Pinyin's "r" Sound ==
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<div class="pinyin-table-audio-container"></div>
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<div class="table-container"><table class="pinyin-table medium" id="pinyin-table">
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Like the [[ch-]], [[sh-]], and [[zh-]] sounds of last section, Mandarin Chinese's [[r-]] sound is also retroflex. That means the tip of your tongue should be pointed up toward the roof of your mouth, and also be rather far back in your mouth. That makes it quite different from the typical American <span class="enpron">"r"</span> sound, which is pronounced by raising the middle of the tongue in the back of the mouth.
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<tr><!--   TABLE HEADERS  -->
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<th class="first-row first-col"></th>
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This may seem strange, but the Mandarin [[r-]] sound really is very similar to the [[ch-]], [[sh-]], and [[zh-]] sounds.
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<th title="Click to expand" class="col-a col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-a-</strong></th>  
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-a"><strong>-a</strong></th>
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[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-r-diagram.jpg|200px|thumb|left|R-Diagram]]
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ai"><strong>-ai</strong></th>
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* [[r-]] is pronounced by making the "French j" sound like in the words <span class="enpron">"lei<strong>s</strong>ure"</span> and <span class="enpron">"plea<strong>s</strong>ure"</span>. While making that sound, slowly pull the tip of your tongue further into the back of your mouth. The sound will start to sound less "buzzy" and more like an "r" sound. That's the Mandarin [[r-]] sound.
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ao"><strong>-ao</strong></th>
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* [[ri]] is an odd syllable because it almost feels like you're not making a vowel sound at all, or if you are, you're doing it kind of ''at the same time'' as the "r" sound. This sound rhymes with the [[zhi]], [[chi]], [[shi]] sounds of last section, and there's certainly no <span class="enpron">"ee"</span> sound in it.
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-an"><strong>-an</strong></th>  
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ang"><strong>-ang</strong></th>
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There is actually a range of acceptable "buzziness" for the [[r-]] sound in Chinese. You can't actually make the sound in the words <span class="enpron">"lei<strong>s</strong>ure"</span> and <span class="enpron">"plea<strong>s</strong>ure"</span>; that's ''too'' "buzzy." But you don't have to pull your tongue so far back that the buzziness fades entirely.
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<th title="Click to expand" class="col-e col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-e-</strong></th>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-e"><strong>-e</strong></th>
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== Key "r" Syllables ==
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-ei"><strong>-ei</strong></th>  
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-en"><strong>-en</strong></th>
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If you're just getting the hang of the Mandarin "r" sound, these are some good syllables to concentrate on initially:
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-eng"><strong>-eng</strong></th>  
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-er"><strong>-er</strong></th>  
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<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
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<th title="Click to expand" class="col-o col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-o-</strong></th>
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<tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-o"><strong>-o</strong></th>
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        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ou"><strong>-ou</strong></th>  
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<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ong"><strong>-ong</strong></th>  
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        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
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<th title="Click to expand" class="col-i col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-i-</strong></th>  
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<th width="42%">Pinyin</th>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i"><strong>-i</strong></th>  
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</tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i*"><strong>-i*</strong></th>  
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<tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ia"><strong>-ia</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|re1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iao"><strong>-iao</strong></th>
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<td>re</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ie"><strong>-ie</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|ren1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iou"><strong>-iou</strong></th>  
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<td>ren</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ian"><strong>-ian</strong></th>
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</tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iang"><strong>-iang</strong></th>  
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<tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-in"><strong>-in</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|ri1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ing"><strong>-ing</strong></th>  
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<td>ri</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iong"><strong>-iong</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|ru1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to expand" class="col-u col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-u-</strong></th>  
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<td>ru</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-u"><strong>-u</strong></th>  
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</tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ua"><strong>-ua</strong></th>  
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<tr>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uai"><strong>-uai</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|rou1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uei"><strong>-uei</strong></th>  
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<td>rou</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uo"><strong>-uo</strong></th>
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        <td>{{Audio-player|rong1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uan"><strong>-uan</strong></th>  
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<td>rong</td>
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uang"><strong>-uang</strong></th>  
 
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uen"><strong>-uen</strong></th>
 
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<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ueng"><strong>-ueng</strong></th>  
 
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<th class="first-row last-col"></th>
 
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
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</table>
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== Pinyin Chart Fragment ==
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 +
This is just a part of the full [[pinyin chart]], limited to the sounds we've covered so far.
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{{#widget: Pinyin chart
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| exclude_col_v
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| exclude_row_null
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| exclude_row_bpmf
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| exclude_row_dtnl
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| exclude_row_jqx
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| exclude_row_zcs
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| exclude_row_gkh
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}}
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Next up: [[the "ü" vowel]] (you're almost finished!).
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== Sources and further reading ==
  
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<tr><!--  R- ROW  -->
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* Sinosplice: [http://www.sinosplice.com/learn-chinese/pronunciation-of-mandarin-chinese/4 Chinese Pronunciation]
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<th class="row-zhchshr first-col" id="r-"><strong>r-</strong></th>
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* ChinesePod: [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/4 A, O with ZH, CH, SH, R], [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/6 E with Z, C, S, ZH, CH, SH, R], [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/9 I with Z, C, S, ZH, CH, SH, R], [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/13 U with ZH, CH, SH, R]
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-a col-placeholder"></td>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-a"></td>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-a"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-e col-placeholder"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-e"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-e"></td>
 
−
<td class="row-zhchshr col-o col-placeholder"></td>
 
−
<td class="row-zhchshr col-o"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-i col-placeholder"></td>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-i"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-u"></td>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<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>
 
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<td class="row-zhchshr col-u"></td>
 
−
<th class="row-zhchshr last-col" id="r-"><strong>r-</strong></th>
 
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</tr>
 
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</table></div>
 
  
 
{{Number in Series|8|Pinyin quick start  guide}}
 
{{Number in Series|8|Pinyin quick start  guide}}
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[[Category:Pinyin]]
 
[[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}}
 
{{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}}
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{{References|r-}}

Latest revision as of 07:41, 14 May 2020

Have you every noticed that the "r" sound is different in many foreign languages? English, Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese, German... the "r" 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 "r" 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.

Pinyin's "r" Sound

Like the ch-, sh-, and zh- sounds of last section, Mandarin Chinese's r- sound is also retroflex. That means the tip of your tongue should be pointed up toward the roof of your mouth, and also be rather far back in your mouth. That makes it quite different from the typical American "r" sound, which is pronounced by raising the middle of the tongue in the back of the mouth.

This may seem strange, but the Mandarin r- sound really is very similar to the ch-, sh-, and zh- sounds.

R-Diagram
  • r- is pronounced by making the "French j" sound like in the words "leisure" and "pleasure". While making that sound, slowly pull the tip of your tongue further into the back of your mouth. The sound will start to sound less "buzzy" and more like an "r" sound. That's the Mandarin r- sound.
  • ri is an odd syllable because it almost feels like you're not making a vowel sound at all, or if you are, you're doing it kind of at the same time as the "r" sound. This sound rhymes with the zhi, chi, shi sounds of last section, and there's certainly no "ee" sound in it.

There is actually a range of acceptable "buzziness" for the r- sound in Chinese. You can't actually make the sound in the words "leisure" and "pleasure"; that's too "buzzy." But you don't have to pull your tongue so far back that the buzziness fades entirely.

Key "r" Syllables

If you're just getting the hang of the Mandarin "r" sound, these are some good syllables to concentrate on initially:

Audio Pinyin Audio Pinyin
re
ren
ri
ru
rou
rong

Pinyin Chart Fragment

This is just a part of the full pinyin chart, limited to the sounds we've covered so far.

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- -a -ai -ao -an -ang -e- -e -ei -en -eng -er -o- -o -ou -ong -i- -i -i* -ia -iao -ie -iou -ian -iang -in -ing -iong -u- -u -ua -uai -uei -uo -uan -uang -uen -ueng -ü-
zh-
zha
zha
[tʂɑ]
ㄓㄚ
cha
zhai
zhai
[tʂaɪ̯]
ㄓㄞ
chai
zhao
zhao
[tʂɑʊ̯]
ㄓㄠ
chao
zhan
zhan
[tʂan]
ㄓㄢ
chan
zhang
zhang
[tʂɑŋ]
ㄓㄤ
chang
zhe
zhe
[tʂɯ̯ʌ]
ㄓㄜ
che
zhei
zhei
[tʂeɪ̯]
ㄓㄟ
chei
zhen
zhen
[tʂən]
ㄓㄣ
chen
zheng
zheng
[tʂəŋ]
ㄓㄥ
cheng
zhou
zhou
[tʂɤʊ̯]
ㄓㄡ
chou
zhong
zhong
[tʂʊŋ]
ㄓㄨㄥ
chung
zhi
zhi
[tʂʅ]
ㄓ
chih
zhu
zhu
[tʂu]
ㄓㄨ
chu
zhua
zhua
[tʂu̯ɑ]
ㄓㄨㄚ
chua
zhuai
zhuai
[tʂu̯aɪ̯]
ㄓㄨㄞ
chuai
zhui
zhui
[tʂu̯eɪ̯]
ㄓㄨㄟ
chui
zhuo
zhuo
[tʂu̯ɔ]
ㄓㄨㄛ
cho
zhuan
zhuan
[tʂu̯an]
ㄓㄨㄢ
chuan
zhuang
zhuang
[tʂ̯u̯ɑŋ]
ㄓㄨㄤ
chuang
zhun
zhun
[tʂu̯ən]
ㄓㄨㄣ
chun
 zh-
ch-
cha
cha
[tʂʰɑ]
ㄔㄚ
ch'a
chai
chai
[tʂʰaɪ̯]
ㄔㄞ
ch'ai
chao
chao
[tʂʰɑʊ̯]
ㄔㄠ
ch'ao
chan
chan
[tʂʰan]
ㄔㄢ
ch'an
chang
chang
[tʂʰɑŋ]
ㄔㄤ
ch'ang
che
che
[tʂʰɯ̯ʌ]
ㄔㄜ
ch'e
chen
chen
[tʂʰən]
ㄔㄣ
ch'en
cheng
cheng
[tʂʰəŋ]
ㄔㄥ
ch'eng
chou
chou
[tʂʰɤʊ̯]
ㄔㄡ
ch'ou
chong
chong
[tʂʰʊŋ]
ㄔㄨㄥ
ch'ung
chi
chi
[tʂʰʅ]
ㄔ
ch'ih
chu
chu
[tʂʰu]
ㄔㄨ
ch'u
chua
chua
[tʂʰu̯ɑ]
ㄔㄨㄚ
ch'ua
chuai
chuai
[tʂʰu̯aɪ̯]
ㄔㄨㄞ
ch'uai
chui
chui
[tʂʰu̯eɪ̯]
ㄔㄨㄟ
ch'ui
chuo
chuo
[tʂʰu̯ɔ]
ㄔㄨㄛ
ch'o
chuan
chuan
[tʂʰu̯an]
ㄔㄨㄢ
ch'uan
chuang
chuang
[tʂʰu̯ɑŋ]
ㄔㄨㄤ
ch'uang
chun
chun
[tʂʰu̯ən]
ㄔㄨㄣ
ch'un
 ch-
sh-
sha
sha
[ʂɑ]
ㄕㄚ
sha
shai
shai
[ʂaɪ̯]
ㄕㄞ
shai
shao
shao
[ʂɑʊ̯]
ㄕㄠ
shao
shan
shan
[ʂan]
ㄕㄢ
shan
shang
shang
[ʂɑŋ]
ㄕㄤ
shang
she
she
[ʂɯ̯ʌ]
ㄕㄜ
she
shei
shei
[ʂeɪ̯]
ㄕㄟ
shei
shen
shen
[ʂən]
ㄕㄣ
shen
sheng
sheng
[ʂəŋ]
ㄕㄥ
sheng
shou
shou
[ʂɤʊ̯]
ㄕㄡ
shou
shi
shi
[ʂʅ]
ㄕ
shih
shu
shu
[ʂu]
ㄕㄨ
shu
shua
shua
[ʂu̯ɑ]
ㄕㄨㄚ
shua
shuai
shuai
[ʂu̯aɪ̯]
ㄕㄨㄞ
shuai
shui
shui
[ʂu̯eɪ̯]
ㄕㄨㄟ
shui
shuo
shuo
[ʂu̯ɔ]
ㄕㄨㄛ
sho
shuan
shuan
[ʂu̯an]
ㄕㄨㄢ
shuan
shuang
shuang
[ʂu̯ɑŋ]
ㄕㄨㄤ
shuang
shun
shun
[ʂu̯ən]
ㄕㄨㄣ
shun
 sh-
r-
rao
rao
[ʐɑʊ̯]
ㄖㄠ
jao
ran
ran
[ʐan]
ㄖㄢ
jan
rang
rang
[ʐɑŋ]
ㄖㄤ
jang
re
re
[ʐɯ̯ʌ]
ㄖㄜ
je
ren
ren
[ʐən]
ㄖㄣ
jen
reng
reng
[ʐəŋ]
ㄖㄥ
jeng
rou
rou
[ʐɤʊ̯]
ㄖㄡ
jou
rong
rong
[ʐʊŋ]
ㄖㄨㄥ
jung
ri
ri
[ʐʅ]
ㄖ
jih
ru
ru
[ʐu]
ㄖㄨ
ju
rua
rua
[ʐu̯ɑ]
ㄖㄨㄚ
jua
rui
rui
[ʐu̯eɪ̯]
ㄖㄨㄟ
jui
ruo
ruo
[ʐu̯ɔ]
ㄖㄨㄛ
jo
ruan
ruan
[ʐu̯an]
ㄖㄨㄢ
juan
run
run
[ʐu̯ən]
ㄖㄨㄣ
jun
 r-
-a- -a -ai -ao -an -ang -e- -e -ei -en -eng -er -o- -o -ou -ong -i- -i -i* -ia -iao -ie -iou -ian -iang -in -ing -iong -u- -u -ua -uai -uei -uo -uan -uang -uen -ueng -ü-

Next up: the "ü" vowel (you're almost finished!).

Sources and further reading

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