How to pronounce [j]/[q]/[x] in Chinese Pinyin
How to pronounce [j]:
Press the tip of your tongue against the back of your lower teeth, raise the front of your tongue to contact the hard palate, and then squeeze the airflow out through the passage thus made without vibration of the vocal cord. The sound of [j] sounds kind of like “j” in the English word “jeep” or “jump,” but softer, with the tongue touching the lower front teeth.
How to pronounce [q]:
The position of articulation is the same as that of [j] but it requires strong aspiration without vibration of the vocal cord. The sound of [q] kind of sounds like “ch” in the English word “cheat” or “cheese,” but softer, with the tongue touching the lower front teeth.
How to pronounce [x]:
Put the tip of your tongue against the back of the lower teeth, raise the front of your tongue near the hard palate, and then squeeze the airflow out without the vibration of the vocal cord. The sound of [x] kind of sounds like the “sh” in the English word “sheep”, but softer, with the tongue touching the lower front teeth.
The Similarities:
1. [j] [q] [x] are all voiceless initials.
2. Finals: [j] [q] [x] can only be combined with “i”, “ü” or compounds made by them.
3. When “ü” is combined with [j] [q] [x], the two dots should be omitted.
The Differences:
1. Articulation: [j] [q] are palatal affricate while [x] is palatal fricative.
2. Aspiration: [j]<[x]<[q] [j] is unaspirated while [q] is aspirated. The amount of air released by [x] is in between [j] and [q].