The 4 tones

5

Mandarin is tonal: the same syllable changes meaning depending on the melody. The tone is marked by an accent above the main vowel.

mā 1er ton — plat haut mom (妈) (high, stable pitch)
má 2e ton — montant hemp (麻) (like asking "what?")
mǎ 3e ton — descendant-montant horse (马) (dip then rise)
mà 4e ton — descendant scold (骂) (sharp and falling, like a command)
ma neutre (sans ton) particle (quick and light, like a suffix)

Common initials

6

Syllable-start sounds. Some are close to English, others need practice.

b / p b non aspiré · p aspiré bā / pā (English p = Chinese b; Chinese p = strong puff of air)
d / t d non aspiré · t aspiré dē / tē (same: the difference is the puff)
j / q j doux · q aspiré jī / qī (tongue flat against the palate)
zh / ch zh non aspiré · ch aspiré zhī / chī (curled-back tongue (retroflex))
x son du fond de la bouche xī (between "see" and "she")
r r anglais ≠ r chinois rì (closer to English "j" in "jam")

Vowel finals

6

Single or combined vowels that form the syllable ending.

a comme "ah" mā 妈
o comme "ow" anglais wǒ 我
e comme "uh" hē 喝
i comme "ee" sauf après zh/ch/sh/r/z/c/s nǐ 你
u comme "oo" bù 不
ü comme "u" français nǚ 女 (written "u" after j/q/x/y)