Difference between revisions of "Pinyin gotchas"
(Created page with "If you're too lazy to read through the whole pinyin quick start guide (but you really should), here's a simple list of all the little "gotchas" that confuse people when th...") |
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# Pinyin "[[r-]]" comes in two varieties: smooth and "buzzy" (both are correct) | # Pinyin "[[r-]]" comes in two varieties: smooth and "buzzy" (both are correct) | ||
# Pinyin "[[ying]]" comes in two varieties: the southern version (yi- + ng), and the northern version (yi + eng) | # Pinyin "[[ying]]" comes in two varieties: the southern version (yi- + ng), and the northern version (yi + eng) | ||
| − | # Pinyin "[[-ui]]" (as in "[[dui]]" or "[[hui]]" is actually a "-uei" sound; the "e" is pronounced but not written | + | # Pinyin "[[-ui]]" (as in "[[dui]]" or "[[hui]]" is actually a "[[-uei]]" sound; the "e" is pronounced but not written |
| − | # Pinyin "i" is pronounced pretty consistently like English "ee," except for the syllables "[[zi]], [[ci]], [[si]]", [[zhi]], | + | # Pinyin "i" is pronounced pretty consistently like English "ee," except for the syllables "[[zi]], [[ci]], [[si]]", "[[zhi]], [[chi]], [[shi]]" and "[[ri]]" |
# Pinyin "e" makes two sounds: one like English "uh" and one like English "e" (as in "pen") | # Pinyin "e" makes two sounds: one like English "uh" and one like English "e" (as in "pen") | ||
Revision as of 08:36, 18 January 2015
If you're too lazy to read through the whole pinyin quick start guide (but you really should), here's a simple list of all the little "gotchas" that confuse people when they first start learning pinyin. Follow the links for more information.
- Pinyin "j-" does not sound like the English letter "j"; it may sound like that to you, but it's actually a whole different sound you have to learn
- Pinyin "q-" does not sound like the English letter "q" or "k"; it may sound like the English "ch" sound to you, but it's a whole different sound you have to learn
- Pinyin "x-" does not sound like the English "x" or even the "sh" sound; it may sound like the English "sh" sound to you, but it's a whole different sound you have to learn
- Pinyin "r-" does not sound like the English "r"; it may sometimes sound like that to you, but it's actually a whole different sound you have to learn
- Pinyin "yan" sounds like the English word "yen" (as in "the Japanese yen")
- Pinyin "h-" comes in two varieties: smooth and "raspy" (both are correct)
- Pinyin "r-" comes in two varieties: smooth and "buzzy" (both are correct)
- Pinyin "ying" comes in two varieties: the southern version (yi- + ng), and the northern version (yi + eng)
- Pinyin "-ui" (as in "dui" or "hui" is actually a "-uei" sound; the "e" is pronounced but not written
- Pinyin "i" is pronounced pretty consistently like English "ee," except for the syllables "zi, ci, si", "zhi, chi, shi" and "ri"
- Pinyin "e" makes two sounds: one like English "uh" and one like English "e" (as in "pen")
