Pinyin quick start guide

This Pinyin Quick Start Guide will give you get a good grasp of pinyin with just 10 short articles. In each one, some reference will be made to English sounds (using a format like "this" to indicate English pronunciation), but don't forget that when you learn pinyin, you're learning the sounds of Mandarin Chinese, many of which are totally unfamiliar to English speakers.

The articles (meant to be read in order) are:

1. Easy sounds
2. The "a" vowel
3. The "e" vowel
4. The "i" vowel
5. The "o" and "u" vowels
6. The "c" and "z" sounds
7. The "ch" "sh" and "zh" sounds
8. The "r" sound
9. The "ü" vowel
10. The "j" "q" and "x" sounds