Retroflex consonant 捲舌音 (卷舌音)

juǎnshéyīn · from Latin

What is a retroflex consonant?

A retroflex consonant is made with the tongue tip curled back towards the roof of the mouth, like Mandarin zh, ch, sh and r.

Standard Mandarin contrasts retroflex zh, ch, sh with flat z, c, s. Many southern and Taiwanese speakers merge them, saying 是 shì closer to sì, which is a strong regional marker. Retroflex sounds also appear in Hindi, Tamil and Swedish.

Examples

知 zhī vs 資 zī; 吃 chī (eat) vs 雌 cí; 是 shì (to be) vs 四 sì (four); 日 rì (sun)

Kungfucius says: Curl your tongue for Beijing, uncurl it for Taipei, and confuse everyone in Shanghai.