Pinyin Lesson 2 – Initials: b p m f

Chinese Pinyin Initials: b p m f

In this Pinyin video lesson we will learn four Chinese Pinyin Initials b p m f. The four of them are not difficult to pronounce as a Pinyin beginner. And if you stick with our pronunciation tips, practice all the Pinyin Syllables Drills in this video, you can work your way towards perfect Pinyin pronunciation!

LESSON INFO

KEYWORDS

  • Pinyin Initials
    • b
    • p
    • m
    • f

LESSON NOTES

Chinese Pinyin Initials

For b p m f, both of your upper and lower lips are the Active Articulators, which is the main organ involved when you make the sound. If you try to say b p m f you’ll notice that your lips are the active parts in making the sound.

b

 p

 m

 f
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35 Comments

  • Great Video with very good and thorough explanations, in particular about the vibrating of the vocal cord. This really helps a lot to fully grasp the pronunciation. I appreciate this thorough, almost scientifically based approach to explaining pronunciation.
    Xie Xie.

  • Hi! Whenever I pronounce “b” and “p”, although they are voiceless initials I can still feel a vibration at the beginning when I pronounce them with a final. Am I pronouncing it wrong?

  • Love this website. Love the pacing and instructions per video which allows me time to learn it. Somehow with this I feel I could speak, read and write properly in Chinese!

  • What do you get if you are registered as a paid student and the price please? We just started and liked your approach, very clear indeed. Is there extra homework for review purpose? So far we saw only the quizzes Hopefully there is more material to enforce the lessons. Many thanks. Tsing

  • I have severe high frequency hearing loss so, even with hearing aides, this is a tough go. It’s going to take me awhile longer than most folks, but I’ll get there.

    • Hi there, I have high frequency hearing loss too, I don’t use hearing aids anymore, but I’m able to tell the differences between certain sounds.
      I would recommend to use ear/headphones in order to listen very carefully each sound. It’s not impossible, I speak 3 languages, and the only language I learnt when I was able to hear well, was my native tongue. Chinese is my 4th language to learn. At the beginning it could be frustrating, but with practice comes perfection.
      I encourage you to keep it up. I could do it, you can do it too.

  • I would really love to learn Mandarin Chinese. There are many things I would love to learn in life, utilizing this system is fun it’s easy it’s educational. I love it! It actually brings a smile to my face and I enjoy utilizing it whenever I have time. God bless you and thank you for all your hard work. Your online classes are amazing..
    Once again thank you from my heart.

  • I have a question. The pinyin drills are easy though I would want to know if I am doing the write pronunciation. Is there any way I can learn?
    Xie Xie!

  • Very helpful indeed. At first, it looked like b and p; d and t; and g and k sound alike, but thanks for dissecting the lectures to tell the difference. This really helps both in speaking and listening skills. I am taking this very seriously considering that Mandarin is a tonal language. Thanks Lili Hao and Chuck.

  • I have a question! Does the “b” sound in Chinese sound sharper than in English? As in, I feel like the “b” is closer to a “p” here than in English, is that normal or is that just how they’re pronounced here?

  • Hi there. I am new here and I have a question related to pronunciation drills. does learning chinese pronunciation affect my english pronunciation (I mean after acquiring chinese pronunciation will I pronounce English words with chinese accent?

  • I am too confused in p,b and f now it is totally cleared ……a lot of love and thank for you from your neighbour country Nepal to teach us so perfectly

  • I am having an issue determining if I am voicing the ‘b’, even when feeling my vocal chords. To my ears it sounds right, but it’s not as defined as the ‘p’ sound, so it is difficult to know for sure. Is there a drill or some other resource so that I can get a better sense of if I am speaking correctly?

  • I’m really interested in studying Chinese, mainly to be able to make friends and potentially explore new business opportunities. I’m really enjoying the emphasis placed on building a solid foundation here!

  • I find it very entertaining to play around saying these and the tips to touch your vocal chords or put your hand in front of your mouth really help explain how to pronounce them properly. Thank you!

  • You know going through this lesson almost makes me feel like I’m in kindergarten again. It’s kind of funny learning to pronounce letters that are virtually the same in English, and if you’re watching these lessons you must already understand English, so… um, good work on being thorough, I guess. 😉

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