How to practice retroflex zh ch sh at home

To practice retroflex zh, ch, sh sounds at home, focus on the position and movement of your tongue as these are essential to producing these sounds correctly in Mandarin:

• The tip of your tongue should curl upward and touch or approach the roof of your mouth behind the alveolar ridge.
• For “zh” sound, the tongue blocks the airflow then lets it out gently, similar to the “j” in English “judge.”
• The “ch” sound is aspirated, so you block the air and release it forcefully with a burst of breath, like the English “ch” in “church.”
• The “sh” sound involves curling the tongue back close to the roof of the mouth and producing a continuous hissing sound like “sh” in “fish.”
• Practice with tongue twisters and repetitive drills to build muscle memory.
• Record yourself and listen to native speakers to mimic correct sounds.
• Use a mirror to watch your tongue curling and mouth shape.
• Try blowing a piece of paper to feel the difference in breath force between “zh” and “ch.”

This step-by-step focused oral posture and airflow control is key for mastering these retroflex sounds at home. ^{1, 2, 3, 4}

References

• Master Chinese “zh ch sh r” | Pronunciation Training

• Master the Chinese CH, SH, and ZH Sounds

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• Chinese Retroflex sounds: Pronunciation Guide

• Four retroflex consonants in Chinese Pinyin 卷舌音

• Facilitating Sh, Zh, Ch, and J - Marshalla Speech & Language

• Tips to Help Your Child Pronounce the “CH” Sound

• 8 Fun and Famous Chinese Tongue Twisters

• IWTL How to say the “ch” “sh” and “j” sounds : r/IWantToLearn

• Tough sounds s-sh-, c-ch-, z-zh- - Chinese Pronunciation Wiki

• Chinese Pronunciation - Page 5 of 6

• The “ch” “sh” and “zh” sounds - Chinese Pronunciation Wiki

• How to Pronounce Chinese Pinyin Initials: zh ch sh r

• Master Chinese “j q x” and “zh ch sh” | Pronunciation Training

• How do I pronounce “zh”, “ch”, “sh”, “c” and “s” in Mandarin …

• Stop Pronouncing These Chinese Sounds WRONG| zh ch sh

• Mandarin Consonants - Pinyin, Pronunciation

• How to pronounce Pinyin Initials zh,ch,sh,r (Retroflex …

• Chinese Pinyin Lesson 10 | Initials: zh, ch, sh, r

• Retroflex Sounds Zh Sh Ch R in Mandarin Explained …