Pinyin initial: "h"

Mouth Mechanics (Step-by-step)

1. Relax your lips and jaw. Keep the mouth comfortably open—don’t “pose” a strong English h.
2. Put your tongue in a neutral resting shape. The tip of the tongue can rest behind the lower front teeth; don’t press it up on the roof of the mouth.
3. Move the “action” to the back. Narrow the throat slightly (the area you feel when you whisper loudly), so the sound is made in the throat, not at the lips.
4. Let air pass continuously. Exhale smoothly; it should sound like a gentle, slightly scratchy breath.
5. Add the vowel immediately. The Chinese h should flow straight into the vowel:
   ha- / he- / hai- / hao- / hou- / han- / hen- / hang- / heng-
   without a pause or a hard “h pop.”

Quick self-check: If you put your palm in front of your mouth, you should feel steady warm air, not a sharp burst.

English Approximation (and how to modify it)

English does not have exactly the same sound in normal speech, but you can get close:

• “who” (especially in some accents where it sounds slightly “hoo” with breath): use the breathy onset, but make it rougher and farther back in the throat.
• “ahead”: the h at the beginning of ahead is a good starting point—now shift it backward so it feels more “throaty.”
• Whispered “ha”: whisper “ha, ha” and notice the back-of-throat airflow. Then add voice only for the vowel, keeping the initial airflow feeling.

How to modify English “h” to match Mandarin h:
English h can be too “clean” and too “front-of-mouth.” For Mandarin h, keep the same idea of airflow, but make it slightly raspier and clearly produced in the throat.

Common Mistakes (English speakers)

• Making it an English “h” that’s too light/clean. Mandarin h often needs a stronger, throatier friction.
• Turning it into “k” or “g.” If you block the airflow completely and then release, you’ve made a stop sound. Mandarin h should be continuous air, not a “click.”
• Adding extra rounding or “hoo” quality before the vowel (especially before ou). Start with the throat sound, then glide into the vowel naturally.
• Over-tensing the throat. You want narrowing, not squeezing. If it feels painful, back off.

Practice Pairs (Pinyin vs. English approximation)

These English words are only sound anchors. The goal is the Mandarin h: a throat-made, frictiony airflow leading into the vowel.

Comparisons and Caveats (similar sounds to watch out for)

h vs. English h

• English h is often a light breath made with a fairly open throat.
• Mandarin h is typically stronger and more constricted, creating audible friction in the throat (a soft, raspy “breath”).

h vs. k / g

• k/g stop the air completely and then release it (a “pop”).
• h never fully blocks the air. It is continuous airflow from the start.

h vs. sh / x

• sh uses the tongue to create friction nearer the front of the mouth (a “shhh” sound).
• x is made with the tongue raised toward the roof of the mouth, creating a hissy, front-of-mouth friction.
• Mandarin h is throat-based, not tongue-front-based. If it starts to sound like English “sh,” your tongue is doing too much.

h + -ng endings (hang, heng)

Syllables like hang and heng end with -ng, a nasal sound produced in the back of the mouth. Keep two things distinct: 1. The initial h = throat friction airflow 2. The final -ng = nasal resonance (air through the nose at the end)

h before different vowels (why it may feel different)

Because h is a throat sound, it can “blend” with the following vowel:

• Before a / ai / ao, it often sounds open and clearly raspy.
• Before e / en / eng, it can sound tighter because the vowel is more central; still keep it throat-based.
• Before ou, avoid rounding too early—don’t let it turn into an English “hoo.” Keep the throat friction first, then round into -ou.