Initial list: B, P, M, F, D, T, N, L, G, K, H, J, Q, X, zh, ch, sh, R, Z, C, S, Y, W.

Vowel list: single vowels: a, o, e, I, u, v.

Compound vowels: ai, ei, ui, ao, ou, iu, ie, ve, er, an, en, in, un, vn, ang, eng, ing, ong.

According to the scheme of Chinese Pinyin, Y and W are zero initial syllables with vowels, and the vowels I and U are rewritten. For example, the syllable yan is the rewriting of the zero initial syllable ian, that is, the whole yan, so Y and W are not counted as initials.

But according to people's customary spelling, Yan will spell with initials, that is, y-an-yan, so both Y and W are counted as initials.

The ending ng belongs to nasal consonant, but it is no longer used as an initial in the pronunciation system of Putonghua, so it is not in the category of initial in Putonghua, but it can appear as an initial in some dialects.

Vowel is a Chinese phonological term in China, which is a part of Chinese phonology except initials and tones. Formerly known as rhyme Vowels consist of three parts: the beginning (middle tone), the belly (main vowel) and the end. According to vowel structure, it can be divided into single vowel, compound vowel and nasal vowel.

Mandarin has 39 vowels.