pronouncekit

INITIAL

s: dental fricative

Mandarin s is close to English s. Practice it with the empty i in sì, and keep it apart from x and sh.

s
Broad IPA
[s]

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

Tongue forward for the first word; pulled back or raised for the second.

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

The consonant itself is familiar. What takes practice is the vowel that follows in sī, and keeping s apart from x and sh.

What your mouth is doing

The tip rests behind the upper teeth, the tongue forms a narrow central groove and air hisses through it. The lips are neutral.

Compared with English

English s in see is close. The vowel is not: sī does not use the ee of see. See the lesson on the empty i for the sound after z, c and s.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Hold a steady English s.
  2. Keep the tongue there and add voice for the vowel in sī.
  3. Say sì, sān and suì.

What to watch for

  • Saying see for sī uses the wrong vowel. Do not raise the blade.
  • Pulling the tongue back turns sì (four) into shì (to be).

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