Pinyin gotchas

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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.

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Pinyin "yan" sounds like the English word "yen" (as in "the Japanese yen")
  6. Pinyin "h-" comes in two varieties: smooth and "raspy" (both are correct)
  7. Pinyin "r-" comes in two varieties: smooth and "buzzy" (both are correct)
  8. Pinyin "ying" comes in two varieties: the southern version (yi- + ng), and the northern version (yi + eng)
  9. Pinyin "-ui" (as in "dui" or "hui" is actually a "-uei" sound; the "e" is pronounced but not written
  10. Pinyin "i" is pronounced pretty consistently like English "ee," except for the syllables "zi, ci, si", zhi, "chi]], shi" and "ri"
  11. Pinyin "e" makes two sounds: one like English "uh" and one like English "e" (as in "pen")