Difference between revisions of "The "c" and "z" sounds"

 
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# Pronouncing the "c" and "z" sounds in Chinese is difficult for some learners
 
# Pronouncing the "c" and "z" sounds in Chinese is difficult for some learners
  
If you find these sounds easy, great! Many learners do. Other learners will need to to work on these sounds quite a bit.
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If you find these sounds easy, great! Many learners do. Other learners will need to work on these sounds quite a bit.
  
 
== Pinyin's "c" Sound ==
 
== Pinyin's "c" Sound ==
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[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-c-diagram.jpg|200x150px|thumb|right|C-Diagram]]
 +
Pinyin's [[c-]] initial is simply a <span class="enpron">"ts"</span> sound. It's like the "ts" you hear in the English words <span class="enpron">"ca<strong>ts</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"Wa<strong>ts</strong>on"</span> and <span class="enpron">"robo<strong>ts</strong>"</span>. The only thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the <span class="enpron">"ts"</span> ''always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound''. For this reason, some learners need some time to get used to making this sound.
  
Pinyin's [[c-]] initial is simply a <span class="enpron">"ts"</span> sound. It's like the "ts" you hear in the English words <span class="enpron">"ca<strong>ts</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"Wa<strong>ts</strong>on"</span> and <span class="enpron">"robo<strong>ts</strong>"</span>. The only thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the <span class="enpron">"ts"</span> ''always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound''. For this reason, some learners need to time to get used to making this sound.
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== Pinyin's "z" Sound ==
 +
[[File:AllSet-PronWiki-z-diagram.jpg|200x150px|thumb|right|Z-Diagram]]
 +
Very similar to the [[c-]] initial, the [[z-]] initial sounds very similar to an English <span class="enpron">"dz"</span> sound (although the "d" is not [[voiced]]). It's like the "ds" you hear in the English words <span class="enpron">"ki<strong>ds</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"loa<strong>ds</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"o<strong>dds</strong>"</span>. The main thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the <span class="enpron">"dz"</span> ''always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound''. For this reason, some learners need some time to get used to making this sound.
  
== Pinyin's "z" Sound ==
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== Key Syllables ==
  
Very similar to the [[c-]] initial, the [[z-]] initial sounds very similar to an English <span class="enpron">"dz"</span> sound (although the "d" is not [[voiced]]). It's like the "ds" you hear in the English words <span class="enpron">"ki<strong>ds</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"loa<strong>ds</strong>"</span> and <span class="enpron">"o<strong>dds</strong>"</span>. The main thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the <span class="enpron">"dz"</span> ''always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound''. For this reason, some learners need to time to get used to making this sound.
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If you're still getting the hang of the Mandarin "c-" and "z-" sounds, these are some good syllables to concentrate on initially:
  
{{#widget: Pinyin chart settings}}
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<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
<div class="pinyin-table-audio-container"></div>
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<tr>
<div class="table-container"><table class="pinyin-table medium" id="pinyin-table">
+
        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
<tr><!--  TABLE HEADERS  -->
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<th width="25%">Pinyin</th>
<th class="first-row first-col"></th>  
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        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
<th title="Click to expand" class="col-a col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-a-</strong></th>  
+
<th width="25%">Pinyin</th>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-a"><strong>-a</strong></th>  
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        <th width="8%">Audio</th>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ai"><strong>-ai</strong></th>  
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<th width="25%">Pinyin</th>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ao"><strong>-ao</strong></th>  
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</tr>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-an"><strong>-an</strong></th>  
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<tr>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-a" id="-ang"><strong>-ang</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|ci4|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to expand" class="col-e col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-e-</strong></th>  
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<td></td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-e"><strong>-e</strong></th>
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        <td>{{Audio-player|cu1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-ei"><strong>-ei</strong></th>  
+
<td></td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-en"><strong>-en</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|cuo4|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-eng"><strong>-eng</strong></th>
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<td>cuò</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-e" id="-er"><strong>-er</strong></th>  
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</tr>
<th title="Click to expand" class="col-o col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-o-</strong></th>  
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<tr>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-o"><strong>-o</strong></th>
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        <td>{{Audio-player|zi4|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ou"><strong>-ou</strong></th>  
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<td></td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-o" id="-ong"><strong>-ong</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|zu1|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to expand" class="col-i col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-i-</strong></th>  
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<td></td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i"><strong>-i</strong></th>  
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        <td>{{Audio-player|zuo4|pinyin-audio}}</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-i*"><strong>-i*</strong></th>
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<td>zuò</td>
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ia"><strong>-ia</strong></th>  
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iao"><strong>-iao</strong></th>  
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ie"><strong>-ie</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iou"><strong>-iou</strong></th>  
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ian"><strong>-ian</strong></th>  
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iang"><strong>-iang</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-in"><strong>-in</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-ing"><strong>-ing</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-i" id="-iong"><strong>-iong</strong></th>  
 
<th title="Click to expand" class="col-u col-placeholder first-row"><strong>-u-</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-u"><strong>-u</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ua"><strong>-ua</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uai"><strong>-uai</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uei"><strong>-uei</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uo"><strong>-uo</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uan"><strong>-uan</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uang"><strong>-uang</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-uen"><strong>-uen</strong></th>
 
<th title="Click to collapse" class="first-row col-u" id="-ueng"><strong>-ueng</strong></th>
 
<th class="first-row last-col"></th>
 
 
</tr>
 
</tr>
 +
</table>
 +
 +
== Finals Revisited ==
 +
 +
In the chart fragment below, there are no new finals. You just need to familiarize yourself with the combinations [[c-]] and [[z-]] show up in. One thing worth noting, though, is that the [[-i]] final, when combined with [[c-]] and [[z-]], makes the same vowel sound that it did in [[si]].
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 +
* [[ci]] and [[zi]] contain an [[-i]] sound which is ''not'' <span class="enpron">"ee"</span>. It's like the vowel sound in [[si]], which probably sounds most like the "si" in the English word <span class="enpron">"<strong>si</strong>t"</span>. The syllables [[zi]], [[ci]], [[si]] all rhyme.
 +
 +
== Pinyin Chart Fragment ==
 +
 +
This is just a part of the full [[pinyin chart]], limited to the sounds we've covered so far. There are no new finals in the chart below, just new combinations adding in the [[c-]] and [[z-]] finals, and including the similar [[s-]] final for good measure.
  
<tr><!--  S- ROW  -->
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{{#widget: Pinyin chart
<th class="row-zcs first-col" id="s-"><strong>s-</strong></th>
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| exclude_col_v
<td class="row-zcs col-a col-placeholder"></td>
+
| exclude_row_null
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="sa"><div class="table-pinyin">sa</div><div class="table-link">[[sa]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɑ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄚ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sa</div></td>
+
| exclude_row_bpmf
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="sai"><div class="table-pinyin">sai</div><div class="table-link">[[sai]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[saɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄞ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sai</div></td>
+
| exclude_row_dtnl
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="sao"><div class="table-pinyin">sao</div><div class="table-link">[[sao]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɑʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄠ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sao</div></td>
+
| exclude_row_jqx
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="san"><div class="table-pinyin">san</div><div class="table-link">[[san]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[san]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">san</div></td>
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| exclude_row_zhchshr
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="sang"><div class="table-pinyin">sang</div><div class="table-link">[[sang]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɑŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄤ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sang</div></td>
+
| exclude_row_gkh
<td class="row-zcs col-e col-placeholder"></td>
+
}}
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="se"><div class="table-pinyin">se</div><div class="table-link">[[se]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɯ̯ʌ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄜ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">se</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="sen"><div class="table-pinyin">sen</div><div class="table-link">[[sen]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sen</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="seng"><div class="table-pinyin">seng</div><div class="table-link">[[seng]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[səŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">seng</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="sou"><div class="table-pinyin">sou</div><div class="table-link">[[sou]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɤʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄡ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sou</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="song"><div class="table-pinyin">song</div><div class="table-link">[[song]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sʊŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sung</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i" id="si"><div class="table-pinyin">si</div><div class="table-link">[[si]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[sɿ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ssu</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="su"><div class="table-pinyin">su</div><div class="table-link">[[su]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[su]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">su</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="sui"><div class="table-pinyin">sui</div><div class="table-link">[[sui]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[su̯eɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sui</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="suo"><div class="table-pinyin">suo</div><div class="table-link">[[suo]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[su̯ɔ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨㄛ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">so</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="suan"><div class="table-pinyin">suan</div><div class="table-link">[[suan]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[su̯an]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">suan</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="sun"><div class="table-pinyin">sun</div><div class="table-link">[[sun]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[su̯ən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄙㄨㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">sun</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<th class="row-zcs last-col" id="s-"><strong>s-</strong></th>
 
</tr>
 
  
 +
Now let's move on to [[the "ch" "sh" and "zh" sounds]].
  
<tr><!--  Z- ROW  -->
+
== Sources and further reading ==
<th class="row-zcs first-col" id="z-"><strong>z-</strong></th>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="za"><div class="table-pinyin">za</div><div class="table-link">[[za]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɑ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄚ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsa</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="zai"><div class="table-pinyin">zai</div><div class="table-link">[[zai]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsaɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄞ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsai</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="zao"><div class="table-pinyin">zao</div><div class="table-link">[[zao]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɑʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄠ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsao</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="zan"><div class="table-pinyin">zan</div><div class="table-link">[[zan]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsan]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsan</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="zang"><div class="table-pinyin">zang</div><div class="table-link">[[zang]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɑŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄤ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsang</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="ze"><div class="table-pinyin">ze</div><div class="table-link">[[ze]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɯ̯ʌ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄜ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tse</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="zei"><div class="table-pinyin">zei</div><div class="table-link">[[zei]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tseɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsei</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="zen"><div class="table-pinyin">zen</div><div class="table-link">[[zen]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsen</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="zeng"><div class="table-pinyin">zeng</div><div class="table-link">[[zeng]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsəŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tseng</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="zou"><div class="table-pinyin">zou</div><div class="table-link">[[zou]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɤʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄡ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsou</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="zong"><div class="table-pinyin">zong</div><div class="table-link">[[zong]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʊŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsung</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i" id="zi"><div class="table-pinyin">zi</div><div class="table-link">[[zi]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsɿ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tzu</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="zu"><div class="table-pinyin">zu</div><div class="table-link">[[zu]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsu]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsu</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="zui"><div class="table-pinyin">zui</div><div class="table-link">[[zui]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsu̯eɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsui</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="zuo"><div class="table-pinyin">zuo</div><div class="table-link">[[zuo]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsu̯ɔ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨㄛ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tso</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="zuan"><div class="table-pinyin">zuan</div><div class="table-link">[[zuan]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsu̯an]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsuan</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="zun"><div class="table-pinyin">zun</div><div class="table-link">[[zun]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsu̯ən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄗㄨㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tsun</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<th class="row-zcs last-col" id="z-"><strong>z-</strong></th>
 
</tr>
 
  
<tr><!--  C- ROW  -->
+
* Sinosplice: [http://www.sinosplice.com/learn-chinese/pronunciation-of-mandarin-chinese/2 Chinese Pronunciation]
<th class="row-zcs first-col" id="c-"><strong>c-</strong></th>
+
* ChinesePod: [http://chinesepod.com/tools/pronunciation/section/9 I with Z, C, S, ZH, CH, SH, R]
<td class="row-zcs col-a col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="ca"><div class="table-pinyin">ca</div><div class="table-link">[[ca]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɑ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄚ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'a</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="cai"><div class="table-pinyin">cai</div><div class="table-link">[[cai]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰaɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄞ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ai</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="cao"><div class="table-pinyin">cao</div><div class="table-link">[[cao]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɑʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄠ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ao</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="can"><div class="table-pinyin">can</div><div class="table-link">[[can]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰan]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'an</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-a" id="cang"><div class="table-pinyin">cang</div><div class="table-link">[[cang]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɑŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄤ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ang</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="ce"><div class="table-pinyin">ce</div><div class="table-link">[[ce]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɯ̯ʌ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄜ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'e</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="cei"><div class="table-pinyin">cei</div><div class="table-link">[[cei]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰeɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ei</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="cen"><div class="table-pinyin">cen</div><div class="table-link">[[cen]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'en</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e" id="ceng"><div class="table-pinyin">ceng</div><div class="table-link">[[ceng]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰəŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'eng</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-e"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="cou"><div class="table-pinyin">cou</div><div class="table-link">[[cou]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɤʊ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄡ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ou</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-o" id="cong"><div class="table-pinyin">cong</div><div class="table-link">[[cong]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰʊŋ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨㄥ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ung</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i" id="ci"><div class="table-pinyin">ci</div><div class="table-link">[[ci]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰɿ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">tz'u</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-i"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u col-placeholder"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="cu"><div class="table-pinyin">cu</div><div class="table-link">[[cu]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰu]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'u</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="cui"><div class="table-pinyin">cui</div><div class="table-link">[[cui]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰu̯eɪ̯]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨㄟ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'ui</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="cuo"><div class="table-pinyin">cuo</div><div class="table-link">[[cuo]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰu̯ɔ]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨㄛ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'o</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="cuan"><div class="table-pinyin">cuan</div><div class="table-link">[[cuan]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰu̯an]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨㄢ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'uan</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u" id="cun"><div class="table-pinyin">cun</div><div class="table-link">[[cun]]</div><div class="table-ipa">[tsʰu̯ən]</div><div class="table-zhuyin">ㄘㄨㄣ</div><div class="table-wade-giles">ts'un</div></td>
 
<td class="row-zcs col-u"></td>
 
<th class="row-zcs last-col" id="c-"><strong>c-</strong></th>
 
</tr>
 
</table></div>
 
  
 
{{Number in Series|6|Pinyin quick start  guide}}
 
{{Number in Series|6|Pinyin quick start  guide}}
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[[Category:Pinyin]]
 
[[Category:Pinyin]]
 
{{Basic Pronunciation|A1|35|The letters "c" and "z" in pinyin can totally throw you off at first, but the sounds they make are not too difficult for most learners.|pinyin|ASP00008}}
 
{{Basic Pronunciation|A1|35|The letters "c" and "z" in pinyin can totally throw you off at first, but the sounds they make are not too difficult for most learners.|pinyin|ASP00008}}
 +
{{References|c-}}
 +
{{References|z-}}

Latest revision as of 08:25, 24 March 2024

Although the sounds that pinyin "c" and "z" make are not actually super foreign to speakers of English, there are two reasons they deserve special attention:

  1. The sounds "c" and "z" make are not the sounds they make in English
  2. Pronouncing the "c" and "z" sounds in Chinese is difficult for some learners

If you find these sounds easy, great! Many learners do. Other learners will need to work on these sounds quite a bit.

Pinyin's "c" Sound

C-Diagram

Pinyin's c- initial is simply a "ts" sound. It's like the "ts" you hear in the English words "cats" and "Watson" and "robots". The only thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the "ts" always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound. For this reason, some learners need some time to get used to making this sound.

Pinyin's "z" Sound

Z-Diagram

Very similar to the c- initial, the z- initial sounds very similar to an English "dz" sound (although the "d" is not voiced). It's like the "ds" you hear in the English words "kids" and "loads" and "odds". The main thing that makes this Chinese sound challenging is that in English the "dz" always appears in the middle or at the end of words, whereas in Chinese it is an initial sound. For this reason, some learners need some time to get used to making this sound.

Key Syllables

If you're still getting the hang of the Mandarin "c-" and "z-" sounds, these are some good syllables to concentrate on initially:

Audio Pinyin Audio Pinyin Audio Pinyin
cuò
zuò

Finals Revisited

In the chart fragment below, there are no new finals. You just need to familiarize yourself with the combinations c- and z- show up in. One thing worth noting, though, is that the -i final, when combined with c- and z-, makes the same vowel sound that it did in si.

  • ci and zi contain an -i sound which is not "ee". It's like the vowel sound in si, which probably sounds most like the "si" in the English word "sit". The syllables zi, ci, si all rhyme.

Pinyin Chart Fragment

This is just a part of the full pinyin chart, limited to the sounds we've covered so far. There are no new finals in the chart below, just new combinations adding in the c- and z- finals, and including the similar s- final for good measure.

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-
z-
za
[tsɑ]
ㄗㄚ
tsa
zai
[tsaɪ̯]
ㄗㄞ
tsai
zao
[tsɑʊ̯]
ㄗㄠ
tsao
zan
[tsan]
ㄗㄢ
tsan
zang
[tsɑŋ]
ㄗㄤ
tsang
ze
[tsɯ̯ʌ]
ㄗㄜ
tse
zei
[tseɪ̯]
ㄗㄟ
tsei
zen
[tsən]
ㄗㄣ
tsen
zeng
[tsəŋ]
ㄗㄥ
tseng
zou
[tsɤʊ̯]
ㄗㄡ
tsou
zong
[tsʊŋ]
ㄗㄨㄥ
tsung
zi
[tsɿ]
tzu
zu
[tsu]
ㄗㄨ
tsu
zui
[tsu̯eɪ̯]
ㄗㄨㄟ
tsui
zuo
[tsu̯ɔ]
ㄗㄨㄛ
tso
zuan
[tsu̯an]
ㄗㄨㄢ
tsuan
zun
[tsu̯ən]
ㄗㄨㄣ
tsun
z-
c-
ca
[tsʰɑ]
ㄘㄚ
ts'a
cai
[tsʰaɪ̯]
ㄘㄞ
ts'ai
cao
[tsʰɑʊ̯]
ㄘㄠ
ts'ao
can
[tsʰan]
ㄘㄢ
ts'an
cang
[tsʰɑŋ]
ㄘㄤ
ts'ang
ce
[tsʰɯ̯ʌ]
ㄘㄜ
ts'e
cei
[tsʰeɪ̯]
ㄘㄟ
ts'ei
cen
[tsʰən]
ㄘㄣ
ts'en
ceng
[tsʰəŋ]
ㄘㄥ
ts'eng
cou
[tsʰɤʊ̯]
ㄘㄡ
ts'ou
cong
[tsʰʊŋ]
ㄘㄨㄥ
ts'ung
ci
[tsʰɿ]
tz'u
cu
[tsʰu]
ㄘㄨ
ts'u
cui
[tsʰu̯eɪ̯]
ㄘㄨㄟ
ts'ui
cuo
[tsʰu̯ɔ]
ㄘㄨㄛ
ts'o
cuan
[tsʰu̯an]
ㄘㄨㄢ
ts'uan
cun
[tsʰu̯ən]
ㄘㄨㄣ
ts'un
c-
s-
sa
[sɑ]
ㄙㄚ
sa
sai
[saɪ̯]
ㄙㄞ
sai
sao
[sɑʊ̯]
ㄙㄠ
sao
san
[san]
ㄙㄢ
san
sang
[sɑŋ]
ㄙㄤ
sang
se
[sɯ̯ʌ]
ㄙㄜ
se
sen
[sən]
ㄙㄣ
sen
seng
[səŋ]
ㄙㄥ
seng
sou
[sɤʊ̯]
ㄙㄡ
sou
song
[sʊŋ]
ㄙㄨㄥ
sung
si
[sɿ]
ssu
su
[su]
ㄙㄨ
su
sui
[su̯eɪ̯]
ㄙㄨㄟ
sui
suo
[su̯ɔ]
ㄙㄨㄛ
so
suan
[su̯an]
ㄙㄨㄢ
suan
sun
[su̯ən]
ㄙㄨㄣ
sun
s-
-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-

Now let's move on to the "ch" "sh" and "zh" sounds.

Sources and further reading