How to use this guide

Compare the sounds in words, not the names of letters. Sound symbols in brackets are optional pronunciation clues.

• English, Mandarin and Cantonese examples are starting points. They are not always exact matches.
• For Chinese consonant examples, use only the first sound, not the whole syllable. Cantonese spellings use Jyutping.
• Do not copy Chinese tones or add a vowel after a consonant.
• Some sounds vary by region. Follow your teacher’s model.
• Spanish has 27 letters. Ch, ll and rr are two-letter combinations.

Reference material

• RAE: the Spanish alphabet
• RAE: letters and pronunciation
• Tulane University: Spanish phonetics
• CUHK: the Cantonese sound system