The Initials (声母)
Initials are the consonant sounds at the start of a syllable — like b, p, m in English. Mandarin has 23. Learn each one, then practice it in Hanlyny and get scored.
The 23 initials below are split into the core sounds (the most common — learn these first) and the extended sounds. Open any example in Hanlyny to hear it, where each initial is scored syllable by syllable.
Core
b
bā
p
pā
m
mā
f
fā
d
dā
t
tā
n
nā
l
lā
g
gā
k
kā
h
hā
z
zī
c
cī
s
sī
Extended
j
jī
q
qī
x
xī
zh
zhī
ch
chī
sh
shī
r
rì
y
yā
w
wā
Drill the initials with feedback
Hanlyny scores your initials syllable by syllable, so you know exactly which one needs work.