Skip to content
  • Home
  • HSK
  • Learn
    • Chinese Pronunciation
    • Chinese Characters
    • Chinese Grammar
    • Chinese Vocabulary
    • Chinese for Kids
    • Chinese for Beginners
    • Daily Chinese
    • View All Articles
  • Our Courses
  • Login
  • Search
Open mobile menuClose mobile menu Courses

How to pronounce [zh]/[ch]/[sh]/[r] in Chinese Pinyin

  • Last updated: May 18, 2024
  • Dig Mandarin
  • Pinyin

How to pronounce [zh]:

      zh

Raise the tip of your tongue to touch the hard palate to form an obstacle and the airflow comes out suddenly by breaking through the obstacle without vibration of the vocal cord.

The sound of [zh] kind of sounds like the “j” in the English word “jack” or “jerk,” but with the tip of the tongue curled farther back.

How to pronounce [ch]:

      ch

The position of articulation is the same as that of [zh] but airflow comes out strongly. The sound of [ch] is similar to the “ch” in the English word “church,” but with the tip of the tongue curled farther back.

How to pronounce [sh]:

      sh

Curl up the tip of your tongue closing to the hard palate and release the airflow through the passage thus made with fraction without vibration of the vocal cord. The sound of [sh] is similar to the “sh” in English word “sheep”.

How to pronounce [r]:

      r

The position of articulation is the same as that of [sh] but the airflow comes out with fraction and with vibration of the vocal cord. The sound of [r] kind of sounds like the “r” in English word “right”.

The Similarity:

Articulation: [zh] [ch] [sh] [r] are all post-alveolar affricate requiring curling up the tip of tongue.

The Differences:

1. Aspiration: [zh]<[sh]<[ch] [zh] is unaspirated while [ch] is aspirated. The amount of air released by [sh] is in between [zh] and [ch]. 

2. Vocal cord: [zh] [ch] [sh] are voiceless initials while [r] is voiced initial.

“How to Pronounce” Series
  • Chinese Pronunciation Guide
  • Pinyin Chart
  • [ɑ]/[e]/[i]
  • [ü] & Spelling Rules in Exception
  • [o] / [u] / [ü]
  • Special Spelling Rules of [i] / [u] / [ü]
  • [er]
  • [ui] / [un]
  • [b]/[p]
  • [m]/[f]
  • [d]/[t]
  • [g]/[k]
  • [n]/[l]
  • [h]
  • [j]/[q]/[x]
  • [z]/[c]/[s]
  • [zh]/[ch]/[sh]/[r]
  • 3rd Tone Change Rules
  • Tone Changes Rules of “不”
  • Tone Changes Rules of “一”
  • Learn Complete Chinese Pronunciation in 16 Days!
Follow Us
  • Twitter (deprecated)
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • YouTube
Dig Mandarin
  • About
  • Become a Contributor
  • Recruitment
  • Forum
  • Resources
Chinese Courses
  • Learn Pinyin
  • Learn Character
  • Learn Grammar
  • Learn for HSK
  • New Practical Chinese Reader Tutorials
Recent Posts
  • Various ways to say “Where are you from” in Chinese
  • Various ways to say “What is your name” in Chinese
  • Various ways to say “Never mind” in Chinese
Copyright DigMandarin - All Rights Reserved
Back To Top