pronouncekit

INITIAL

f: lip-teeth fricative

Mandarin f matches English f closely. Practice it before the finals it can combine with, and keep every syllable clean.

f
Broad IPA
[f]

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 the steady f with the h made further back; the vowel stays the same.

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

This is a friendly starting point: the mouth shape you already use for English f works here too.

What your mouth is doing

The upper teeth rest lightly on the lower lip and air flows steadily through the gap. There is no voice until the vowel.

Compared with English

English f in fee is close. Mandarin has no English-style v, so a voiced version is not a separate sound here, and the letter v is not used in standard pinyin for native syllables.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Rest your upper teeth on your lower lip and blow steadily.
  2. Slide into the vowel for fā without stopping the air.
  3. Say fēi and fàn, keeping the tone on the vowel rather than on the f.

What to watch for

  • Do not voice it: a buzz turns it toward English v.
  • In fó the vowel is a rounded o; do not glide to English oh.

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