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Foundations — Jyutping & Tones
Phase 1 of the HKDictionary Cantonese course: the complete sound system. Learn to read Jyutping, hear every initial, final and all six tones, and type Cantonese — the gate to everything else.
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Unit 1
Unit 1 — How Jyutping Works
Understand that every syllable = initial + final + tone, and start matching sounds to Jyutping.
1.1 — The three parts of a syllable
+10 XP
Unit 2
Unit 2 — Initials (the 19 starting sounds)
Hear and read every Cantonese initial — including the ones that surprise English speakers.
2.1 — The eight easy initials
+10 XP
2.2 — Aspiration (the puff of air)
+10 XP
2.3 — Jyutping's false friends: j = “y”, z = “j”
+10 XP
2.4 — The rest (g, k, ng, h, gw, kw, w, z, c, s, j)
+10 XP
Unit 3
Unit 3 — Finals (every vowel & ending)
Hear and read every Cantonese final — vowels, glides, stop endings (-p/-t/-k) and nasal endings (-m/-n/-ng).
3.1 — Finals: aa — long a
+10 XP
3.2 — Finals: a — short a
+10 XP
3.3 — Finals: e
+10 XP
3.4 — Finals: i
+10 XP
3.5 — Finals: o
+10 XP
3.6 — Finals: u
+10 XP
3.7 — Finals: oe / eo / yu — the hard vowels
+10 XP
3.8 — Finals: syllabic nasals
+10 XP
Unit 4
Unit 4 — The Six Tones
Hear, tell apart, and read all six tones — the make-or-break of Cantonese.
4.1 — The six tones of “si”
+10 XP
4.2 — Tones change the word (媽/麻/馬/罵)
+10 XP
Unit 5
Unit 5 — Mastery Gate: Hear & Read
Prove you can match any sound to its Jyutping — required to unlock Phase 2.
5.1 — The listening + reading gate
+20 XP
Unit 6
Unit 6 — Typing Cantonese with Jyutping
Set up a Jyutping keyboard and type Cantonese — you already read Jyutping, so you can already type.
6.1 — Type with Jyutping
+10 XP