ㄙ = s

ㄙ is an initial: the consonant at the start of a syllable. In pinyin it is written s.

Pinyin sIPA /s/Initial · Sibilants2 strokesFrom 厶
Side view of the mouth for ㄙ (s): tongue, lips and airflow.
How to say it

Tongue just behind the teeth: a sharp, clean s.

Do not mix up

ㄕ curls the tongue back. ㄙ keeps it flat behind the teeth. See ㄕ (sh) →

Where it comes from

ㄙ comes from the character 厶. Zhuyin symbols were made from parts of old characters in the 1910s.

Stroke order, step by step

Stroke order from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. The dot shows where the new stroke starts.

Stroke 1
Stroke 2

Words with ㄙ

三
ㄙㄢ
sān · three; 3 · TOCFL Novice 1
四
ㄙˋ
sì · four; 4 · TOCFL Novice 1
歲
ㄙㄨㄟˋ
suì · year (of age); age · TOCFL Novice 1
意思
ㄧˋ ˙ㄙ
yì si · meaning; idea · TOCFL Novice 2
告訴
ㄍㄠˋ ㄙㄨˋ
gào sù · To tell; to inform · TOCFL Novice 2
所以
ㄙㄨㄛˇ ㄧˇ
suǒ yǐ · therefore; so · TOCFL Novice 2

13 syllables with ㄙ

Make ㄙ glow.

Zhuyin Pro teaches ㄙ with sound, mouth diagrams, tracing and real words. Then it reminds you before you forget.

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