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c · ch · q: three aspirated affricates

Separate q, ch and c with tongue position and keep the strong puff of air on all three. Practice with common word sets.

c · ch · q

Mouth & tongue

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Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

Simplified human pronunciation. The small uvula hangs from the palate; it is not the vocal folds. The wave indicates voicing.

Sound to demonstrate
Tone

High and level, around 55 on the five-level pitch scale.

Voice settings

The mouth starts slightly open. Movement is slowed for observation; the synthetic sound plays once at its original speed. Pause holds the current mouth shape; reset returns to the relaxed position. The panda is a symbolic teaching aid for human pronunciation, not animal anatomy. A simplified teaching model, not a measured or anatomically validated simulation. It shows the soft palate lowering for nasal sounds, but not airflow. Single syllables use eSpeak NG, a synthetic voice on your device. Its pitch range is narrower than natural speech, so use the tone diagrams and word buttons as well. Words and sentences use a voice from your browser or device when one is available. No native recordings are bundled.

Words to practice

Sentence to practice

Listen and compare

Keep the strong air and only move your tongue.

Pinyin here shows dictionary tones. Spoken tones change in some contexts, such as nǐ hǎo; see the lessons on tone changes.

What you are learning

These are the aspirated partners of j, zh and z. English ch sits somewhere between q and ch, and pinyin q does not suggest its sound.

What your mouth is doing

For q, the tip is down and the blade high. For ch, the tip is raised and drawn back. For c, the tip is forward behind the upper teeth. All three end with a strong puff of breath.

Compared with English

English ch in cheese is a starting point for q and ch. English ts in cats is a starting point for c. Pinyin q and c have no relation to their English values.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say qī with your tip down and a strong puff.
  2. Say chī with your tip raised and back.
  3. Say cī with your tip forward. Go back and forth.

What to watch for

  • Reading c as k or s follows English spelling.
  • Dropping the puff turns these into j, zh and z.

Related lessons

Keep practicing

References & editorial notes

PronounceKit wrote this lesson as practical guidance for English speakers, based on the references below. The comparisons are editorial teaching suggestions. It describes common Mainland Standard Mandarin patterns, not every accent or regional variety, and it has not been independently reviewed by a pronunciation specialist or Mandarin teacher.

Published 5 November 2026