pronouncekit

INITIAL

m: lip nasal

Mandarin m closes the lips and hums through the nose. Learn the syllable-initial m and why it never ends a Mandarin syllable.

m
Broad IPA
[m]

Mouth & tongue

Enable JavaScript to view the 3D panda. Pronunciation steps remain available below.

Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

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

Nasal: the soft palate lowers; air exits the nose

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 a lip closure with a tongue closure; keep the vowel unchanged.

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

Mandarin m is one of the easier initials for English speakers. The difference is where it can appear: only at the start of a syllable.

What your mouth is doing

The lips close while the soft palate lowers so air and voice flow through the nose. When the 3D model is available, it shows the soft palate and uvula dropping. Hum to feel the vibration, then pinch your nose and notice the sound stop.

Compared with English

English m in my is a close match. English also ends words with m, as in home, while standard Mandarin syllables end only in a vowel, n or ng, so English-style -m endings do not carry over.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Close your lips and hum for a second.
  2. Open into the vowel for mā without a break in the voice.
  3. Say mā, má, mǎ and mà, following each tone contour.

What to watch for

  • Ending a syllable with m, as in saying sān with closed lips, changes the final. Keep the lips open for n.
  • Treating māma as two equal beats ignores the neutral tone on the second syllable.

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