BoPoMoFo (Zhuyin)

Mandarin learners in Taiwan learn the correct pronunciation and characters by first learning a phonetic script known as Zhuyin or Bopomofo.  This name derives from the first 4 syllables of this "alphabet". Teacher Z will not focus so much on teaching these although she will go through some children's books that are organized around Bopomofo. It is useful for reading basic, children's books, but not necessary for speaking conversational Mandarin.

It is however extremely useful to know when you need to type on the computer or smart phone. (If your keyboard doesn't have Zhuyin click here.) Even with my cave woman Mandarin I can type in Bopomofo and find the character I am looking for (then ask Z if I got the right one.) You can download an app on android  Zhuyin Quiz to practice learning the Bopomofo symbols and sounds. Here are also some free pdf flashcards.

 Please note that for symbols 1- 11 the "o" is pronounced like "uh" so ㄅ Bo is pronounced "buh" as in but, not as in bough. Its just the way you would see it in the pinyin (Romanized Chinese from the Mainland), but as you can see it doesn't exactly represent the sound, that's why Zhuyin is better. In 12-14, the "i" is long E, as in tree, so ㄐ Ji sounds like jee. Don't worry its easier than it seems.

Teacher Z will be going through children's books with stories that follow this order. Learn Bopomofo and Traditional Characters along the way.

1. ㄅ Bo "buh" (Bb)
Inside Mr. White's Garden

2. ㄆ Po "puh"  (Pp)
Plum Garden

3. ㄇ Mo "muh" (Mm)
Red Strawberries

4. ㄈ Fo "fuh" (Ff)
Big Tomato

5. ㄉ Do "duh" (Dd)
Planting Rice

6. ㄊ To "tuh" (Tt)

7.ㄋ  No "Nuh" (Nn)

8. ㄌ Lo "Luh" (Ll)

9. ㄍ Go "Luh" (Gg)

10. ㄎ Ko "Luh" (Kk)

11. ㄏ Ho "Huh" (Hh)

12. ㄐ Ji "jee" (Jj)

13. ㄑQi "chee" (Ch)

14. ㄒ Xi  "she" (Sh more in the front of your mouth)

15. ㄓ Zhr (Jj)

16. ㄔ Chr (Ch)

17.  ㄕ Shr (Sh more in the back of your mouth)

18.  ㄖ Ri (Rr in the front of your mouth)

19. ㄗ Ts (Zz in the front of your mouth)

20.  ㄘ Ts (soft Cc)

21. ㄙ (Ss)

22. ㄧ Yi (long E)

23. ㄨ Wu (long U)

24. ㄩ Yu (French U as in une, German umlaut "ü")

25.  ㄚ Ya (short a)

26.  ㄛ O (short o)

27. ㄜ (short u like "uh")

28. ㄝ  (long A)

29.  ㄞ Ai (long I)

30. ㄟ Ei (like Spanish e, English long A said curtly)

31. ㄠ Ao (ow as in cow)

32. ㄡ Ou (long O)

33. ㄢ an

34. ㄣ en

35. ㄤ ang

36. ㄥ eng

37. ㄦ er

Resources and Online Games:
http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/zhuyin.php
http://www.eng.umd.edu/~nsw/chinese/pinyin.htm
http://chinesehacks.com/blog/study/learning-chinese-pinyin-or-zhuyin/
http://zhuyin.flashgamesplayer.com/
http://www.purposegames.com/game/10af65bb