So when you read them aloud, you’re really saying this in pinyin: When reciting the consonants, they’re attached with basic vowel sounds. Here’s the Chinese alphabet, divided into vowels and consonants. Time to tackle pronunciation! Chinese Pinyin Pronunciation: How to Master It and Move On! Learning and Reviewing Your Pinyin While zhuyin is still widely used in Taiwan, the switch to pinyin in China was significant for a couple of reasons: It systematized the language, which in turn standardized the language for Chinese people, as well as improved Chinese language learning for all.Įnough pinyin background for now. Known as zhuyin or colloquially as “bopomofo,” the system was replaced as the standard in 1958 by a new system, which we know as “hanyu pinyin” or simply as “pinyin.” Try FluentU for FREE! From Zhuyin to Pinyin: A Brief History Lessonīefore hanyu pinyin was in place, a different Chinese alphabet system was used along with the Wade-Giles system, which was composed of modified Latin letters. With the right attitude and a good work ethic, you’ll be nailing Chinese pinyin pronunciation in no time.īut before diving into strategies to better your pinyin pronunciation, let’s take a quick look at how hanyu pinyin came about.ĭownload: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬan take anywhere. But believe it or not, mastering the pinyin system is not as difficult a task as it might seem.Īfter a bit of studying, beginners usually find that pinyin pronunciation is quite easy, with the reality being that tones are where they trip up the most. Of course, the use of Roman letters in Chinese pinyin that don’t follow conventional English phonetics can seem problematic at first. It’s true that the language has its obstacles, but is pronunciation really as big of a hurdle as people make it out to be? They say the phonetic system pushes you so far from your comfort zone that it makes pronunciation a nightmare. Some say that Mandarin Chinese is so hard to learn.

Afraid to try out your Chinese pronunciation?

Chinese hanyu pinyin