An initial is the consonant at the beginning of a Mandarin syllable.
Consonant initials#
b p m f · d t n l · g k h · j q x · zh ch sh r · z c s
Some syllables begin without one of these consonants. The letters y and w also occur in pinyin spelling conventions; this list groups consonant initials rather than every letter that can begin a written syllable.
Reference#
Pronunciation reference. The practice instructions here are newly written. Recordings, charts and illustrations from the reference are not reproduced.