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If you want to learn Chinese, you have to start with the basics.

It used to be that only foreigners learning Chinese had to learn romanization (which is what pinyin is) but after the CCP came to power, everyone, including native Chinese like myself (the Panda speaking here) had to do so.

So I am going to teach you what I know, in the hopes that when we get advanced I can learn better from what I am teaching. A wise teacher learns from her/his students.

First rule: a o e i u u(umblar) (hereafter “:u”).

A is pronounced AH

E is pronounced UH

I is pronounced EE

U is pronounced OOH

:U is pronounced YEW-ee (so fast it’s one sound)

Practice these for a bit, and then continue. Take five minutes to practice.

***

Continue:

b p m f d t n l j q x zh ch sh g k h w y r and a few others I can’t summon right now…

b = BUH

p = PUH

m = MUH

F sounds like the common F-start profanity, except you don’t make the /K/ sound: FUH

D = DUH

T = TUH

N = NUH

L = LUH

ZH = Jee-er (so fast it is one sound)

CH = Chee-er (same as right above)

SH = Shee-er (same as above)

G = GUH (sounds like girl but don’t curl the tongue)

K = KUH

H = HUH

W = Wo-UH (same rule as others ending in er, but ending in UH instead)

Y = YEE

R = REE-er (so fast it’s one sound)

After I remember what has pinyin start letters have escaped me, and corral them and get them to march back to this blog with me with the watery bamboo soup I will have for dinner tonight, I will update this post and include them!

For now, just practice what you have learned, so by the next lesson (I don’t even know when…) you will be ready to learn basic grammar!

Take several weeks, to practice, that is, if it takes me several weeks to resume this post tag (Chinese).

Search for “Chinese” or “LangLesson” to continue your study next time.