a as in fah
ai as in aisle
an as in land
ang a as in fah and ng as in sing
ao like the au's in sauerkraut
b- like the p in spay, or akin to b in bay
c- like t's-h in it's hell, but with more breath
ch- like the ch-h in teach him, but with the tongue tip curled far back and with more breath
d- like the t in stay, or akin to d in day
e like the British err, but spoken with tenser muscle
ei as in eight
en and in end, sometimes like the un in unfit
eng as in length, sometimes like ung in lung
er like the American err, but spoken with tenser muscle
f- as in fool
g- like the k in skate, or akin to g in gate
h- as in hay
i as in machine
-i (after z-, c-, s-, zh, ch-, sh-, r-) a vowel produced by keeping the manner for the preceding consonant
ia = i + a (like Yah in Yahweh)
ian = i + en (like yen)
iang = i + ang
iao = i + ao (like yow in yowl)
ie = i + e (like yeh)
in like in
ing as in sing
iong = i + ong
iu = i + (o)u (like you or yoo in yoo-hoo)
j- like tch in itching, or akin to j in jeep
k- as in kerb, but with a stronger aspiration
l- as in let
m- as in may
n as in net or in pin
-ng as in sing (also forming a few independent exclamations)
ong like oo in hood and ng in sing
ou as in soul
p- as in put, but with a stronger aspiration
q- like ch in cheap, but with more breath
r- like the r in crew, but with the tongue tip curled far back
-r a weak form of er (many Southerners speak Chinese without this suffix)
s- as in see
sh- like the sh in shoe, but with the tongue tip curled far back
t- as in turn, but with stronger aspiration
u as in rule, but with more lip-rounding
ü (=yu): made by producing the i of machine with the lips rounded as for the oo of ooze (written as u after j, q, x, y)
ua = u + a (like wa in wahoo)
uai = u + ai (like Wye)
uan = u + an (or ü + an after j, q, x, y)
uang + u + ang
ue = ü + e
ui = u + ei (like weigh)
un = u + n
uo = u + o (like w-awe)
w- as in wool
x- like sh in she
y- as in yearn
z- like t's in it's ours, or akin to ds in beds
zh- like j in just, but with the tongue tip curled far back
