Learn about Cantonese consonants
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| Hi everyone. |
| Welcome to The Ultimate Cantonese Pronunciation Guide. |
| In this lesson, you'll learn the final 6 Cantonese consonants. |
| d-/-t, t, z, c, w, - |
| Are you ready? Then let's get started! |
| The first consonant is... |
| d-/-t |
| 打 (daa2) |
| 多 (do1) |
| 突 (dat6) |
| This sound is represented by the letter D in the initial position, or represented by the letter T in the final position. It sounds like the T in the word 'stand'. There should not be a burst of air when you pronounce this sound. Listen to (host name). |
| d-/-t, d-/-t (slowly) |
| d-/-t, d-/-t (slowly) |
| The next consonant is... |
| t |
| 他 (taa1) |
| 拖 (to1) |
| 土 (tou2) |
| This sound is represented by the letter T. It sounds like the T in the word 'tan'. Ensure that there's a burst of air when you pronounce this sound. Listen to (host name). |
| t, t (slowly) |
| t, t (slowly) |
| The next consonant is... |
| z |
| 炸 (zaa3) |
| 借 (ze3) |
| 至 (zi3) |
| This sound is represented by the letter Z, but it actually sounds more like a TS or DZ sound. Think of pronouncing the word 'zoo' with a T in front of it. The trick here is to emphasize the T sound whilst mixing in a *very* slight Z sound. Pronouncing it quickly may also help. There should not be a burst of air when you're pronouncing this sound. Listen to (host name). |
| z, z (slowly) |
| z, z (slowly) |
| The next consonant is... |
| c |
| 車 (ce1) |
| 翅 (ci3) |
| 茶 (caa4) |
| This sound is represented by the letter C, but it actually sounds more like a TS sound. This is very similar to the previous sound, except there is a prominent burst of turbulent air. This is the only difference between the two sounds, so make sure you are able to differentiate the two. Remember, you want to emphasize the T more than the S sound. Listen to (host name). |
| c, c (slowly) |
| c, c (slowly) |
| The next consonant is... |
| w |
| 蛙 (waa1) |
| 窩 (wo1) |
| 烏 (wu1) |
| Like the W in the word 'we'. |
| w, w (slowly) |
| w, w (slowly) |
| The final consonant sound is... |
| 愛 (oi3) |
| 澳 (ou3) |
| 哀 (oi1) |
| "This sound isn't represented by any letter, but it is sometimes produced before an A, E, O, or at the end of some final consonants. This sound, or one can argue, lack of sound, is the abrupt pause that takes place before the next sound is released suddenly. |
| You can pronounce it by contracting your throat muscles quickly to obstruct the airflow, and then releasing the pressure abruptly. |
| Because the vocal cords are held tightly together, this prevents them from vibrating, so you should not hear anything for a short period of time. |
| Some English speakers may produce this sound when pronouncing the word 'button' for example, or when they say 'uh-oh!' |
| Listen to (host name)." |
| -, - (slowly) |
| -, - (slowly) |
| Well done! You just learned the final 6 consonant sounds in Cantonese. |
| d-/-t, t, z, c, w, - |
| We've covered every single sound that could possibly appear in Cantonese. With these sounds, you can pronounce anything in Cantonese. Isn't that great? |
| How difficult were they to learn? Please comment and share your thoughts. |
| See you in the next Ultimate Cantonese Pronunciation Guide lesson! |
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