Learning Initial "z" in Pinyin

Some Chinese consonants are rather similar to English consonants, but it's important to hear the differences and get all details as accurate as possible!

How to read: z

An unaspirated voiceless blade alveolar-affricate. It is pronounced by putting forward the tongue to block the air with its tip against the upper teeth ridge, and then dropping the tip to release the air with friction through the narrow passage. The vocal cords do not vibrate. It is same as 'ds' in the English 'woods'.


Phrases:

汉字hàn zì：Chinese character
组zǔ：group