Pinyin: the "j" "q" and "x" sounds
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.
Contents
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.
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. This will should feel weird, because this is not something you normally do in English. Of 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.
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").
Pronouncing Pinyin's "q" Sound
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, in the same way that "sh" and "ch" sounds are similar (in Chinese as well as in English). 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".
Pronouncing Pinyin's "j" Sound
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".
On the Pinyin Chart
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).
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| -i- | -i | -i* | -ia | -iao | -ie | -iou | -ian | -iang | -in | -ing | -iong | -ü- | -ü | -üe | -üan | -ün | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| j- | [tɕi] chi |
[tɕi̯ɑ] chia |
[tɕi̯ɑʊ̯] chiao |
[tɕiɛ] chieh |
[tɕi̯ɤʊ̯] chiu |
[tɕiɛn] chien |
[tɕi̯ɑŋ] chiang |
[tɕin] chin |
[tɕiŋ] ching |
[tɕi̯ʊŋ] chiung |
[tɕy] chü |
[tɕy̯œ] chüeh |
[tɕy̯ɛn] chüan |
[tɕyn]
chün |
j- | |||
| q- | [tɕʰi] ch'i |
[tɕʰi̯ɑ] ch'ia |
[tɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯] ch'iao |
[tɕʰiɛ] ch'ieh |
[tɕʰi̯ɤʊ̯] ch'iu |
[tɕʰiɛn] ch'ien |
[tɕʰi̯ɑŋ] ch'iang |
[tɕʰin] ch'in |
[tɕʰiŋ] ch'ing |
[tɕʰi̯ʊŋ] ch'iung |
[tɕʰy] ch'ü |
[tɕʰy̯œ] ch'üeh |
[tɕʰy̯ɛn] ch'üan |
[tɕʰyn]
ch'ün |
q- | |||
| x- | [ɕi] his |
[ɕi̯ɑ] hsia |
[ɕi̯ɑʊ̯] hsiao |
[ɕiɛ] hsieh |
[ɕi̯ɤʊ̯] hsiu |
[ɕiɛn] hsien |
[ɕi̯ɑŋ] hsiang |
[ɕin] hsin |
[ɕiŋ] hsing |
[ɕi̯ʊŋ] hsiung |
[ɕy] hsü |
[ɕy̯œ] hsüeh |
[ɕy̯ɛn] hsüan |
[ɕyn]
hsün |
x- |
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
- The Mandarin Chinese sounds written "x", "q", and "j" do not exist in English; don't let anyone tell you otherwise
- Start with "x", if you can make that sound, it shouldn't be hard to make "q" and then "j"
- When you make the "x" sound, make sure that the tip of your tongue is down, behind your lower front teeth (same position for "q" and "j"), and that you can smile as you make it
- Whenever you see the vowel "u" after an "x", "q", or "j", it is actually the "ü" vowel
