English
Japanese
Korean
French
German
Spanish
Italian
Arab
Portuguese
Vietnamese
Russian
Finnish
Thai
dk
In this Pinyin Lesson, we learn how to pronounce four initials, which are b, p, m, f. We also learn some Chinese characters that use “b, p, m, f”. In addition you can have tone drill and quiz on b, p, m, f.
Initials
Initials are called 声母 in simplified Chinese (pinyin: shēngmǔ). There are 21 initials excluding y and w.
The conventional order is:
b, p, m, f; d, t, ,n, l; g, k, h; j, q, x; zh, ch, sh, r; z, c, s
Pronunciation Guide
The letters b, d, and g are really the un-aspirated versions of p, t, and k. This means that they are pronounced in the way the letters p, t, and k are pronounced after the letter s (as in spy, sty, and sky).
The following guide is given in terms of English pronunciation. They are approximate, as there are some sounds of Pinyin do not correspond directly to sounds in English.
1. b: as the p in “spay”, or b in “bay”.
2. p: as p in put, but with a stronger aspiration.
3. m: as m in “may”.
4. f: as f in “five”.
Example Words
| Example 1:Chinese Character: 波 Pinyin: bō English translation: wave |
 |
| Example 2:
Chinese Character: 坡 English translation: Slope |
 |
| Example 3:Chinese Character: 摸 Pinyin: mō English translation: Touch |
 |
| Example 4:Chinese Character: 佛 Pinyin: fó English translation: Buddha |
 |
Exercises:
Exercise 1: Tone Drill
Listen to the audio first, and then repeat.
1. bā bá bǎ bà
2. pā pá pǎ pà
3. mā má mǎ mà
4. fā fá fǎ fà