Being aware of them will help you notice the distinctions and make the sounds correctly. The differences are due to several factors, listed below. Aspiration Aspiration is the puff of air that is produced when certain sounds are made. In other words, the point in the mouth where they are articulated is the same, but they vary in whether a puff of air is produced when we say them. In the case of b and p , then, when we say b in Mandarin, we produce no puff of air, whereas when we say p , we produce a strong puff of air.
Similar pairs are grouped below, so note the ways in which they are both alike and different.
Voicing Voicing is defined as a vibration of the vocal cords. Only a few initials are voiced in Mandarin, including m , n , l , and r . In general, m does not present a problem for most learners, but the pairs n and l and sh and r often cause difficulty such that many people have a hard time pronouncing them. As noted below, n and l are articulated in the same position in the mouth, so they sound the same to some learners. The only difference between them is whether the speaker forces air through his nose or through his mouth.