Back to Retroflex initials in Mandarin

Word Guide

Tier 1 Practice Page

How to pronounce 吃饭 (chī fàn)

吃饭 means "to eat a meal". Use this guide to lock in the tone pattern, articulation target, and the mistake most learners still make.

Pinyin

chī fàn

Tone Pattern

Tone 1 + Tone 4

Pronunciation Focus

retroflex-basics

How to say it

Release ch with audible aspiration before moving into fàn.

Most common error

ch often drifts toward an English ch or a fronted c-like sound.

HSK Level

HSK1

Related pronunciation rules

How to pronounce zh, ch, sh, and r in Chinese

A practical guide to Mandarin retroflex initials with tongue position tips, common substitutions, and sample words.

Practice similar examples

知道 (zhī dào)

Keep zh curled back and crisp before the falling dào.

老师 (lǎo shī)

The sh in the second syllable should stay slightly curled back and steady.

出去 (chū qù)

Keep the retroflex initials in 出去 (chū qù) slightly curled back instead of letting them flatten forward.

Hear the same pattern in sentences

他是老师。 (tā shì lǎo shī.)

The key target is the final shī, which should stay retroflex and narrow.

他吃了。 (tā chī le.)

Keep the retroflex initials in 他吃了。 (tā chī le.) slightly curled back instead of letting them flatten forward.

他出去。 (tā chū qù.)

Keep the retroflex initials in 他出去。 (tā chū qù.) slightly curled back instead of letting them flatten forward.

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