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Initial Sounds
Pinyin letters j, q and x are somewhat similar to their English equivalents. When you make these sounds, relax the tip of your tongue and place it behind your bottom front teeth.
jiàn
见 (as in "jeep")
qī
七 (as in "cheese")
xìng
姓 (as in "sheep")
的 (de)
In English, we say The doctor’s phone number, but in Chinese, you’d say 医生的电话号码 (yīshēng de diànhuà hàomǎ). 的 (de) is also used after words like 我 (wǒ) and 你 (nǐ) to mean my and your.
我的茶。
(Wǒ de chá.) My tea.
你的水。
(Nǐ de shuǐ.) Your water.
医生的电话号码。
(Yīshēng de diànhuà hàomǎ.) The doctor’s phone number.
她的学生。
(Tā de xuéshēng.) Her student.
Neutral Tone
Syllables without any tone marking are called neutral.
Neutral tone
As in "Uh..." but shorter
呢 ne
As in "Uh..." but shorter
呢 ne
我姓李，你呢？
(Wǒ xìng lǐ, nǐ ne?) My last name is Li, and yours?
你喝茶吗？
(Nǐ hē chá ma?) Do you drink tea?