Pronunciation guide of 3 Initials in Pinyin: j,q,x
| j is an unaspirated consonant and the vocal cords do not vibrate. To make the “j” sound, you need to put the tip of your tongue against the back of your lower teeth, and then loosen the tongue to make the air come out. |  |
| q is aspirated. We can use the same manner to pronounce q, but the puff of the air would be much stronger. |  |
| To pronounce x , raise the front of the tongue toward but not touch the hard palate and then let the air squeeze out. An useful trick is to pull the corners of your mouth straight back to squeeze a smile. |  |
Examples of Chinese Characters Using j q x
In this part, we will learn some Pinyin that use these three initials with their Chinese characters. Please listen to the audio to differentiate these sounds, and then repeat with the audio.
| Initials | Used in Pinyin | Characters | Meanings | As in English Words |
| j | | 鸡 | noun. chicken | like /j/ in English word "jeep" |
| q | | 七 | number. seven | like /ch/ in English word “cheese" |
| x | | 西 | noun. the west | sounds like /shi/ in English word "ship" |
Note:
1) The finals that can be combined with "j","q","x" are limited to "i","u" and compound finals that start with "i" or "u".
2) When "j","q" and "x" are combined with "ü" or a compound final which start with "ü, the umlaut is omitted and the "ü" appears as u."
Pronunciation Drills of Initials: j, q, x
Listen to the audio first, and then practice the following Pinyin with the initials j,q,x.
« Chinese Pinyin Lesson 8 | Initials: g, k, h
Chinese Pinyin Lesson 10 | Initials: zh, ch, sh, r >> »
