Student Q&A, October 2024: Pronouncing the final -i after sh-, the initial z- and if Pinyin is a good transcription system

This week’s podcast episode is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions about Mandarin pronunciation.

This time, I’m answering questions about:

I have also included a written summary below!

Tune in to the Hacking Chinese Podcast to listen to the related episode (#217):

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and many other platforms!

Links to things mentioned in the introduction

Question 1: How is the Pinyin final spelt with an “i” pronounced after “sh”?

The final “i” after “sh”, “zh”, “ch”, and “r” is a voiced version of the “sh” sound
To pronounce it, retract your tongue and ensure your vocal cords vibrate (voicing)
Relax the tongue slightly for a more accurate sound
This explanation also applies to “i” after “s”, “z”, and “c”, but with a different tongue position

A guide to Pinyin traps and pitfalls: Learning Mandarin pronunciation

Question 2: How is the initial spelt with a “z” pronounced compared to “z” in English?

Pinyin “z” is not like English “z”; it is an affricate sound, pronounced like “ts”
There is no voicing, unlike the English “z”
Avoid adding aspiration (a puff of air), which could turn it into Pinyin “c”

Check my pronunciation course for more about this (and everything else related to pronunciation): Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence

Question 3: Is Pinyin a good transcription system for learning pronunciation?

Spoken sounds and written symbols are two different things; don’t mix them up
Pinyin is systematic and effective for learning Mandarin pronunciation
Most pronunciation errors related to Pinyin occur because students don’t learn the (simple) spelling rules
Zhuyin prevents guessing based on English but is less commonly used
Learning the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can provide additional insights into pronunciation

Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 1

Hacking Chinese