Chinese Pinyin Lesson 11 | Initials: z, c, s, y, w

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Pronunciation guide of 5 Initials in Pinyin: z, c, s, y, w

Note: Pay attention to the places where the tip of the tongue is when pronouncing z, c, s.


z	To pronounce z, think of the final sound in the English word “Buzz”, prolong it, and that's z. When pronouncing z, your tongue should touch the back of the upper teeth.
c	c is similar to the English “ts” in the word “cats” and it is an aspirated sound. In the same way, when pronouncing c, your tongue should touch the back of the upper teeth.
s	s is very easy to pronounce as it is similar to the “s”” in English word "s”it", but make sure to make it longer when you pronounce it.
Notes: The letters "y" and "w" are not included in the table of initials in the official pinyin system. They are an orthographic convention for "i", "u" and "ü" when no initial is present. When "i", "u" or "ü" are finals and no initial is present, they are spelled "yi", "wu", and "yu", respectively. The letters "y" and "w" are called "half vowels" in Chinese, to make it simple and easier to use, I categorize them as initials here.
y	y sounds exactly the same as “i”, but “i” can not stand at the beginning of one syllable but y can. To pronounce y, make a smiling face, spread your mouth and make the sound out.
w	w is the conversion of “u” when no initial is present. To pronounce w, round your lips like you are going to whistle.

Examples of Chinese Characters Using z, c, s, y, w

In this part, we will learn some Pinyin that use these five 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

hànzì