Level 3 A bit of a stretch
These sounds are a bit of a stretch but with proper practice, it will come naturally. It's important to understand that some of these sounds don't exist in English, but it's also critical to try associating these sounds with similar sounds in English.
Step 1 Z C S
It's important to figure z c s out first because zh ch sh are based on them respectively. Watch the video below to learn z c s sounds. Remember to take notes.
Step 2 zh ch sh
Here comes the real stretch. A lot of videos on Youtube will tell you that "zh" sounds exactly like the "ge" part of "George"; "ch" sounds exactly the same as "ch" in "church" and "sh" sounds exactly like "sh" in "shirt". BIG MISTAKE there.
The correct way to pronounce "zh" is to pronounce "z" first and change the position of your tongue. Same for "ch" and "sh".
Therefore, make sure you have a good command of the z c s sounds before you continue to zh ch sh.
Tongue position picture source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpQ3IMd4AMg
Check this video out for further tips and practice. It's a pretty good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2YXJiiNREw
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Step 3 the "r" sound and a bonus special final "er"
Welcome to your last pinyin letter - "r". Watch the video below and practice the pronunciation.
0:00 - 1:42 talks about the initial "r".
3:50 to the end talks about the special final "er".
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Important notes: "er" is a special final we didn't cover in our previous final lessons. It is different from any other finals because it can not be combined with any initials to form a syllable. It is a syllable all by itself. That's why I chose to mention it here at the very last.