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Every pinyin syllable, initial, and final — the reference chart every Chinese learner needs.
21 initial consonants — the starting sounds of Chinese syllables
The vowel nuclei of Chinese syllables — simple, compound, and nasal
Each syllable has a tone that changes its meaning. Same sound, four completely different words.
Stay at high pitch, flat and steady
Rise like asking a question in English
Dip low then rise — the longest tone
Sharp drop, like saying 'No!' firmly
These four rules explain most of the "weird" spellings you'll see in pinyin.
When 'i' starts a syllable alone, spell it as 'yi'
yī (not ī)
When 'u' starts a syllable alone, spell it as 'wu'
wú (not ú)
'ü' after j, q, x drops the umlaut — written as 'u'
ju = jü, qu = qü, xu = xü
Tone marks go on the vowel — if multiple vowels, mark the more open one
priority: a > o > e > i = u
Reading a chart is one thing. Getting your tones corrected by an expert in real time is how you actually nail it.
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