pronouncekit

INITIAL

ch: aspirated retroflex affricate

Learn Mandarin ch: raised tongue tip, strong puff of air. Compare it with q and c so that chī stays distinct.

ch
Broad IPA
[ʈʂʰ]

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

Compare with zh: the same position, but only the first word has a puff.

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

Pinyin ch is the aspirated partner of zh. It looks exactly like English ch, but the tongue is further back.

What your mouth is doing

The tip rises behind the ridge and stops the air, then a strong stream of breath and friction follows on release.

Compared with English

English ch in church is a decent start. Pull the tongue back and relax the lips. English ch often rounds the lips, which is not required here except before rounded vowels.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say church and feel where your tongue is.
  2. Draw the tip back a little, keeping the puff.
  3. Say chī, chá and chē, each with strong air.

What to watch for

  • A weak puff turns chī into zhī.
  • Keeping the tongue forward makes chī sound closer to cī or qī. Hold the tip back.

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