Pinyin
Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet, which makes it easy to read and easy to mispronounce — letters like “q,” “x,” and “c” don’t map to their English sounds. These guides cover how to read Pinyin the way it’s actually meant to be pronounced, not the way it looks.
- It's Not B vs P, It's Puff vs No Puff: Aspiration in Mandarin
Mandarin's b/p, d/t, and g/k pairs aren't about voicing like they are in English — they're about a puff of air. Here's why that distinction trips up beginners, and how to actually hear it.
- The Four Sounds That Make Every Beginner Freeze Up: zh, ch, sh, r
Zh, ch, sh, and r trip up almost every English speaker learning Mandarin — here's what your tongue is actually supposed to be doing, and a quick way to check you're getting it right.
- Why Your Mandarin 'B' Sounds Like a 'P' (And How to Fix It)
The b/p confusion is one of the most common Mandarin pronunciation mistakes for English speakers — here's why it happens and how to correct it.