{
  "title": "Hanyu Pinyin initials (声母表)",
  "count": 21,
  "source_title": "汉语拼音方案 (Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet), approved 1958-02-11, Ministry of Education of the PRC",
  "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_sjzl/ziliao/A19/195802/t19580201_186000.html",
  "source_pdf": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
  "verified": "2026-10-06",
  "notes": [
    "Order, Zhuyin symbols and example characters follow section 二 声母表 of the 1958 scheme (PDF p.296-297).",
    "example_pinyin is our romanisation of the scheme's example character (the scheme itself shows Zhuyin only); human spot-check recommended.",
    "place_group is a common phonetic grouping added for teaching; it is not part of the scheme.",
    "The scheme notes zh ch sh may be abbreviated as ẑ ĉ ŝ when annotating characters; this is rarely used today.",
    "y and w are NOT initials in the scheme; they are spelling devices for syllables with no initial (scheme 韵母表 note 4). Some classroom charts list them as initials."
  ],
  "initials": [
    {
      "order": 1,
      "initial": "b",
      "zhuyin": "ㄅ",
      "example_char": "玻",
      "example_pinyin": "bō",
      "place_group": "labial",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 2,
      "initial": "p",
      "zhuyin": "ㄆ",
      "example_char": "坡",
      "example_pinyin": "pō",
      "place_group": "labial",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 3,
      "initial": "m",
      "zhuyin": "ㄇ",
      "example_char": "摸",
      "example_pinyin": "mō",
      "place_group": "labial",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 4,
      "initial": "f",
      "zhuyin": "ㄈ",
      "example_char": "佛",
      "example_pinyin": "fó",
      "place_group": "labiodental",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 5,
      "initial": "d",
      "zhuyin": "ㄉ",
      "example_char": "得",
      "example_pinyin": "dé",
      "place_group": "alveolar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 6,
      "initial": "t",
      "zhuyin": "ㄊ",
      "example_char": "特",
      "example_pinyin": "tè",
      "place_group": "alveolar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 7,
      "initial": "n",
      "zhuyin": "ㄋ",
      "example_char": "讷",
      "example_pinyin": "nè",
      "place_group": "alveolar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 8,
      "initial": "l",
      "zhuyin": "ㄌ",
      "example_char": "勒",
      "example_pinyin": "lè",
      "place_group": "alveolar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 9,
      "initial": "g",
      "zhuyin": "ㄍ",
      "example_char": "哥",
      "example_pinyin": "gē",
      "place_group": "velar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 10,
      "initial": "k",
      "zhuyin": "ㄎ",
      "example_char": "科",
      "example_pinyin": "kē",
      "place_group": "velar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 11,
      "initial": "h",
      "zhuyin": "ㄏ",
      "example_char": "喝",
      "example_pinyin": "hē",
      "place_group": "velar",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 12,
      "initial": "j",
      "zhuyin": "ㄐ",
      "example_char": "基",
      "example_pinyin": "jī",
      "place_group": "palatal",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 13,
      "initial": "q",
      "zhuyin": "ㄑ",
      "example_char": "欺",
      "example_pinyin": "qī",
      "place_group": "palatal",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 14,
      "initial": "x",
      "zhuyin": "ㄒ",
      "example_char": "希",
      "example_pinyin": "xī",
      "place_group": "palatal",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 15,
      "initial": "zh",
      "zhuyin": "ㄓ",
      "example_char": "知",
      "example_pinyin": "zhī",
      "place_group": "retroflex",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 16,
      "initial": "ch",
      "zhuyin": "ㄔ",
      "example_char": "蚩",
      "example_pinyin": "chī",
      "place_group": "retroflex",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 17,
      "initial": "sh",
      "zhuyin": "ㄕ",
      "example_char": "诗",
      "example_pinyin": "shī",
      "place_group": "retroflex",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 18,
      "initial": "r",
      "zhuyin": "ㄖ",
      "example_char": "日",
      "example_pinyin": "rì",
      "place_group": "retroflex",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 19,
      "initial": "z",
      "zhuyin": "ㄗ",
      "example_char": "资",
      "example_pinyin": "zī",
      "place_group": "dental sibilant",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 20,
      "initial": "c",
      "zhuyin": "ㄘ",
      "example_char": "雌",
      "example_pinyin": "cí",
      "place_group": "dental sibilant",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    },
    {
      "order": 21,
      "initial": "s",
      "zhuyin": "ㄙ",
      "example_char": "思",
      "example_pinyin": "sī",
      "place_group": "dental sibilant",
      "source": "http://www.moe.gov.cn/ewebeditor/uploadfile/2015/03/02/20150302165814246.pdf",
      "verified": "2026-10-06"
    }
  ]
}