Chinese Pinyin Lessons

Pinyin is the first step in learning Chinese, and also the basis for learning Chinese well. Pinyin is the phonetic system of Chinese language. It is the most widely-used system of writing Mandarin Chinese that uses the Latin alphabet. Most importantly, it's a great tool to help you learn the accurate pronunciation of Mandarin words and input Chinese characters on your computer or smartphone. Our lesson will help you to learn all about Chinese hanyu pinyin in an easy way. Based on one on one video lessons, learn what you need. It suitable for all abosulte beginners.

Pinyin Lessons Include:

Chinese Pinyin Lesson 1 | Introduction to Pinyin
In this lesson, we will learn the composition and classification of pinyin. Teacher will show you some skills to learn pinyin quickly and well. After learning this lesson, you will have a clear understanding of Pinyin. Just like the phonetic alphabets in English, Pīnyīn helps us to read Chinese words. A pinyin syllable is usually composed of an initial, a final and a tone. The consonant that starts a syllable is called the initial, and the part after the initial is the final. For example, in "lǐ", "l" is the initial, "ǐ" is the final, and "ˇ" is the tone mark. Some syllables do not have initials. A finial and a tone can also make a syllable, such as "é". These are some basic rules of Pinyin, which we will learn one by one.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 2 |  Chinese Tones: 4 Tones & the Neutral Tone
In this lesson, we will learn four basic tones and one special tone: neutral tone. Chinese is a tone language. Different tones may result in different meaning. There are four basic tones in Chinese. They are marked as "ˉ" (the 1st tone), "ˊ" (the 2nd tone), "ˇ" (the 3rd tone), "ˋ" (the 4th tone) respectively. For example, mā, má, mǎ, mà. Different tones may express different meanings. Tones are marked above the main vowel of the pinyin syllable. 
The neutral tone is pronounced lightly and briefly without any stress, and is indicated in pinyin by the absence of any tone mark above the syllable. For example: bàba, māma.
The teacher will let you know when to use the soft tone, and you will also learn the rules of tone marking and tone changing.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 3 | Six Simple Finals/Vowels: a, o, e, i, u, ü
In this lesson, we will learn the 6 simple finals, and we will learn their pronunciation, mouth shape, pronunciation position, etc. And we will also give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing. Teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them.
如：-a: Like /a/ as in English word "father" (American pronunciation); -o: Like /o/ as in English word "fox".


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 4 | Compound Finals: ai ei ao ou iu ui ie üe er
In last lesson, we have learned the 6 simple finals, so it is not difficult for you to learn the compound finals, as they are normally constructed by two or more simple vowels. When pronouncing the compound finals, all you have to do is to glide your tongue from one simple vowel to the other. And we will also give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing. Teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them.
如：-ai: Like the /-y/ in English word "sky"; -ei: Like /-ay/ in English word "day".


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 5 | Nasal Finals : an en in un ün ang eng ing ong
In this lesson, we will learn how to pronounce the Nasal Finals. The Nasal Final is a final which combines a vowel with the nasal consonant “-n” or “-ng”. The Nasal Finals end with“-n” are called the Front nasal finals, including an, en, in, un, ün, and the ones end with “-ng” are called the Back Nasal Finals, including ang, eng, ing, ong. They mainly differ in the parts of the voice. Teacher will give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing. For example: 关门 ɡuān mén (close the door); 餐厅 cān tīnɡ (canteen). Teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them.
如：-an: Like /-an/ in English word "Juan"; -en: Like /un/ in "under", but with the vowel a little higher and further forward.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 6 | Initials: b,p,m,f
We all know that a pinyin syllable is usually composed of an initial, a final and a tone. In our previous lessons, we have learned finals and tones. Today we will come to the initial part. We will learn b, p, m f. The four consonants are pronounced roughly the same as they are in English. Teacher will show you how to pronounce them, help you distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated, voiced or not voiced. And we will also give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing, like: 爸爸 bà bɑ (Dad), 大佛 dà fó (the Big Buddha), 婆婆 pó pó (grandma) and so on.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 7 | Initials: d, t, n, l
In last lesson, we have learned the initials b, p, m, f. Today we will learn d, t, n, l. The four consonants are pronounced roughly the same as they are in English. Teacher will show you how to pronounce them, help you distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated, voiced or not voiced. And we will also give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing, like: 第一 dì yī (the first), 不服气 bù fú qì (not convinced) and so on.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 8 | Initials: g, k, h
In last lesson, we have learned the initials d, t, n, l. Today we will learn g, k, h. The four consonants are pronounced roughly the same as they are in English. Teacher will show you how to pronounce them, help you distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated, voiced or not voiced. And we will also give you some pratical Chinese words for practicing, like: 哥哥 ɡē ɡe (older brother); 喝 hē ( to drink) and so on.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 9| Initials: j, q, x
Today we will learn the initials j, q, x. Maybe you think it is a little difficult to pronounce as you may find that they sound very similar to each other. But do not worry, teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them, for example: j like /j/ in English word "jeep"; q like /ch/ in English word "cheese"; x like /sh/ in English word "sheep".


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 10 | Initials: zh, ch, sh, r
Today we will learn another 4 initials, which are zh, ch, sh, r. when you pronounce this four, you need to roll the tongue up. Teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them, for example: zh like/dge/ in English word "judge"; ch like /ch/ in "church" and so on. This analogy will make learning easier and pronunciation more accurate.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 11 | Initials: z, c, s, y, w
Today we will learn the last five initials z, c, s, y, w. when you pronounce this five, you need to flat your tongue. Teacher will find some similar sounds in English to help you pronounce them, for example: z like /ds/ in English word "friends"; c like /ts/ in English word "students" and so on. This analogy will make learning easier and pronunciation more accurate.


Chinese Pinyin Lesson 12 | Chinese Pinyin Rules
Pin Yin Rule 1: If mark tones on the letter "i", please omit the dot.
Pin Yin Rule 2: If ü is put together with j, q, x, omit two dots but still read ü.
Pin Yin Rule 3: If i/u appear at the beginning, please add y/w before it or change i/u into y/w.
Pin Yin Rule 4: If "ü" appears at the beginning, please omit two dots of "ü" and add "y" before it.
Pin Yin Rule 5: If there is "a" in pinyin, the tone should be marked on "a", If there is no "a", the tones should be marked on "o" or "e". If "i" and "u" appear in pinyin at the same time, the tone needs be marked on the letter that appeared later.
The above is the rules about marking tones. We will also learn the rules about tone changing, like:  一 (yī) and 不 (bù).

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