Pinyin initial: "zh"

Mouth Mechanics (step-by-step)

1. Start with teeth gently close (not clenched). Lips are relaxed or only slightly rounded (rounding mostly comes from the vowel that follows, not from zh itself).
2. Place the tongue tip behind the top teeth, then pull (curl) the tip slightly backward so it points toward the back part of the roof of your mouth (just behind the bumpy ridge).
3. Lift the front of the tongue so it forms a narrow “channel” toward that back-roof area. You should feel the contact/near-contact happening farther back than English j in most accents.
4. Build pressure behind the tongue by briefly blocking the airflow (a tiny stop), then
5. Release into a “hushy” friction right away (like a compact “ch/j” hiss). This is why zh feels like a single, tight “ch/j” rather than a plain “z.”
6. Keep your voice ON during the sound (your throat vibrates). If you touch your throat lightly, you should feel buzzing: zh is voiced.
7. Immediately go into the final (the vowel or vowel-like ending):
   • In zhi, the ending is not an “ee” sound; it’s a tight, “r-colored” vowel-like sound that stays in the same general tongue area as zh.

English Approximation (what to borrow, and how to adjust)

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

• “j” in judge — use the middle consonant sound (the “j”).
  Adjustment: move the tongue contact slightly farther back and make the sound feel drier/darker, with a subtle tongue-tip curl.
• “dg” in edge — use the final consonant sound.
  Adjustment: keep it voiced, and again aim the tongue a bit farther back than typical English.
• “ch” in church (as a starting point) — use the “ch” part.
  Adjustment: turn your voice on (so it becomes more like “j”), and keep the tongue position retracted (slightly back and curled) rather than forward.

A helpful cue for many English speakers: say “jer” (like the start of jerk) and try to make the “j” less front-of-mouth and more back-of-roof, with a hint of “r” quality coming from the tongue shape (without actually adding an English r sound after it).

Common Mistakes (what English speakers usually do wrong)

• Using English “j” too far forward. English j often happens closer to the teeth; zh should feel farther back and more “hushed.”
• Making it like “z” or “dz.” If it sounds like zoo or kids (ds), you’re missing the hushy friction of zh.
• Making it like English “dr.” “dr-” is tempting, but English dr usually has a different tongue shape and can sound too “bouncy.” Keep one compact consonant: stop + hiss together.
• Turning it into “ch” (unvoiced). If it sounds like ch with no throat vibration, you’ve lost the voicing.
• For zhi-: saying “zhee” (like “G”). The -i in zhi is not the “ee” vowel; it’s a tight, “r-ish” vowel-like sound that keeps the tongue in the same neighborhood as zh.

Practice Pairs (visualizing the sound)

Use these as sound anchors, not perfect matches. The goal is to keep the zh consonant consistent while the vowel changes: zha / zhe / zhai / zhao / zhou / zhan / zhen / zhang / zheng / zhi.

Comparisons & Caveats (how zh differs from similar sounds)

zh vs j

• j is made with the tongue more forward and with lips often more spread (especially before i/ü-type sounds).
• zh is farther back, with a slight tongue-tip curl quality and a “darker” resonance.
• If your zh starts to sound too “clean/bright,” you’ve drifted toward j.

zh vs ch

• ch is the unvoiced partner (no throat vibration).
• zh should be voiced (buzzing).

A fast test: hold your throat lightly. If there’s no buzz, you’re closer to ch.

zh vs sh

• sh is a pure fricative (continuous hiss).
• zh begins with a tiny stop then releases into hiss (a “stop + hiss” in one unit).

If your sound is only hissing with no “pop” release, you may be doing sh instead of zh.

zh vs z

• z (in Pinyin) is more like a sharp “dz” made near the teeth.
• zh is hushier and farther back, with the tongue shape pulled back/curling slightly.

If it sounds like “ds” in kids, it’s drifting toward z, not zh.

Special note on zhi-

In zhi (e.g., zhi1, zhi2, zhi3, zhi4), the ending is not the same i as in mi or li. Keep the tongue in the zh area and let the syllable end with a tight, “r-colored” vowel-like sound rather than a clear “ee.”