How to properly pronounce Chinese names in Nine Sols

# How to properly pronounce Chinese names in Nine Sols Many content creators in different lingual regions have played this game(thanks, BTW), however, several Chinese names weren't pronounced correctly due to the fact that the transliteration of the character is merely an approximation and is rather inaccurate. This guide and the corresponding resources will help you pronounce the names much more correctly. ![cover](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/HJnRNAvLR.png) <https://hackmd.io/@brlin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-howto> ## Table of contents The following is the table of contents of this guide: [TOC] ## Note Before reading the following parts of the guide please note that: * This guide features pronunciations that are primarily used in the game studio's country(a.k.a. Taiwanese Mandarin), which is different from the one used in the voice lines in the game which is a fictional Solarian language based on an ancient Han dialect. * The pronunciations documented below are in Taiwanese Mandarin instead of China-nese Mandarin, these two languages different in many ways, please don't assume that learning Taiwanese Mandarin will help you learn Chinese Mandarin to any extent, especially if you plan to migrate to China in the future. ## TL; DR Ignore the following haunting introductory text and go straight to [the last section](#The-reference-name-pronunciations-in-Nine-Sols) which provides audio clips of the demonstration pronunciation. If you're in a hurry or don't want to be spoiled by the minimal description text of each Chinese name [there's also a SoundCloud playlist with all the reference pronunciation audio clips available for consumption](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/sets/ninesols-name-pronunciation-howto). ## The Taiwanese Mandarin Phonetic Symbols（a.k.a. Bopomofo ㄅㄆㄇㄈ） First, let me introduce you to the Taiwanese Mandarin Phonetic Symbols that every Taiwanese child will learn at school age, by understanding the pronunciation of the combination of these phonetic symbols you can precisely pronounce most(if not all) of the Taiwanese Mandarin characters. These phonetic symbols are also used in the composition of the Chinese characters using the Zhu-yin(注音) input method, where a user can enter phonetic symbol combinations into a "pre-edit area(often indicated by the underline formatting in a destination textbox, or in a completely separate interface)" via keystrokes, and select the intended Chinese character that has the same pronunciation of that combination to the application in focus via a selection user interface(the Chinese character selection step may be omitted if the input method used is smart enough to guess the proper character it should be according to to the context): ![Entering text using an the Chewing Zhu-yin input method, without selection of the Chinese characters](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ByDT6-VHC.gif "Entering text using an the Chewing Zhu-yin input method, without selection of the Chinese characters") ## The list and pronunciation of the phonetic symbols These phonetic symbols are comprised of **consonants**, **rhymes**, **medials**, and **tone marks**. These symbols(except for the tone marks) are each assigned a pronunciation, however, the pronunciation of the symbols themselves is only for ease of reference and does not fully contribute to their combination form(the contributing part is marked as boldface in the following sections). Also, the English transliterations in the following sections are merely an approximation and shouldn't be blindly memorized as such, please refer to the corresponding audio clips in the later sections for proper pronunciation reference. ### The consonants The following list enumerates the consonants' phonetic symbols and their approximated pronunciation: * ㄅ: **b**u *as in bun* * ㄆ: **p**u *as in pun* * ㄇ: **m**u *as in mud* * ㄈ: **f**u *as in fun* * ㄉ: **d**u *just like ㄅ* * ㄊ: **t**u *just like ㄅ* * ㄋ: **n**u *as in nun* * ㄌ: **l**u *as in luck* * ㄍ: **g**u *as in gut* * ㄎ: **c**u *as in cut* * ㄏ: **h**u *as in hut* * ㄐ: **j**i *as in jingle* * ㄑ: **ch**i *as in chicken* * ㄒ: **sh**i *as in shiver* * ㄓ: **zhe**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄔ: **czhe**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄕ: **szhe**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄖ: **rzhe**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄗ: **tze**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄘ: **tse**? *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄙ: **se**? *(no known approximation in English)* ### The rhymes and medials The following list enumerates the rhymes and medials phonetic symbols, and their approximated pronunciation: * ㄚ: **ah** *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄛ: **o** *like o in letter o, but without the trailing w/u sound* * ㄜ: **uh** *as in uhm...* * ㄝ: **a** *like in letter a, but with out the trailing y/i sound* * ㄞ: **eye** *as in eye* * ㄟ: **ay** *like in pay* * ㄠ: **ou** *as in ouch* * ㄡ: **oh** *like o in letter o, but with the trailing w/u sound* * ㄢ: **an** *as in candy* * ㄣ: **en** *as in enable* * ㄤ: **on** *as in font* * ㄥ: o**ng** *as in long* * ㄦ: **ur** *as in urgent* * ㄧ: **ea** *as in tea* * ㄨ: **U** *as in Uber* *(no known approximation in English)* * ㄩ: The "G" letter's pronunciation, but without the leading "j" sound *(no known approximation in English)* ### The tone marks The following list enumerates the 5 tone marks of the phonetic symbols which mark to represent the different tones of Mandarin Chinese. These tones are crucial for accurate pronunciation, as they can change the meaning of a word. Here's a breakdown of each tone mark: * **First Tone (ˉ):** This tone is a high-level tone, sounding flat and steady. It's often omitted in writing but can be included for clarity. (Example: 媽ㄇㄚ - mother) * **Second Tone (ˊ):** This tone is a rising tone, starting low and rising sharply at the end. (Example: 麻ㄇㄚˊ - hemp) * **Third Tone (ˇ):** This tone is a falling-rising tone, dipping down first and then rising slightly at the end. (Example: 馬ㄇㄚˇ - horse) * **Fourth Tone (ˋ):** This tone is a falling tone, starting high and dropping sharply at the end. (Example: 罵ㄇㄚˋ - to scold) * **Fifth Tone (˙):** This tone, also known as the neutral tone, is a short and weak tone. It's represented by a dot placed above the bopomofo symbol. (Example: 們ㄇㄣ˙ - plural marker for people) ## The reference name pronunciations in Nine Sols Now let's discuss how to properly pronounce the Chinese names in game as closely as possible! The following list is the Chinese names you will encounter while progressing the game in the order of the encounter. The English transliteration by the Chinese name is merely for reference and should not be consider to be a proper pronunciation. ### 羿（ㄧˋ） Yi The name of the protagonist. Probably no one would mispronounce this one as the transliteration is very close to the Chinese pronunciation. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-yi) ### 軒（ㄒㄩㄢ）軒（ㄒㄩㄢ） Shuan-Shuan The name of the protagonist's friend met at the start of the game. This one is tricky as the pronunciation of the ㄩㄢ phonetic symbol combination doesn't have a perfect match in the English lingual context. The game had featured two variants of the transliteration probably due to this reason: * XuanXuan(in the demo) * ShuanShuan(in the full game) Some common mispronunciations include: * Making the "u" portion too long(it should rather be close to the "y" portion for the "yuan" term's pronunciation, however, the transliteration ShyuanShyuan would probably confuse the player more than be of help) * Making the "a" portion of the name sounds like "o" as in "on", it should rather be pronounced like "ay" as in "pay". [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-shuanshuan) ### 當（ㄉㄤ）康（ㄎㄤ）豬（ㄓㄨ） Dang-kang boar The animal that grabbed the Crimson Hibiscus flower away at the beginning of the game. Some common mispronunciations include: * Making the "a" portion of the name sound like the "ay" portion as in "pay", it should rather be pronounced like the "o" portion of "on". Yeah, this is the exact opposite to the similar case in ShuanShuan, transliteration sure is tricky. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-dangkang-boar) ### 神（ㄕㄣˊ）農（ㄋㄨㄥˊ） Shen-nong The big guy that doesn't believe in the superstition in the village. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-shengnong) ### 如（ㄖㄨˊ）羿（ㄧˋ） Ru-yi The abacus(virtual assistant) owned by Yi [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-ruyi) ### 氣（ㄑㄧˋ） Qi The power that can be charged by parrying the enemy's attack. Some common mispronunciations include: * Making the "q" portion of the name sound like "c" as in "cat" [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-qi) ### 方（ㄈㄤ）士（ㄕˋ） Fang-shi Represents the "specialists" of Tao, whatever that it may mean. Refer the Wikipedia for a gist of the meaning. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-fangshi) ### 李（ㄌㄧˇ）耳（ㄦˇ） Le-ar The mysterious elder teaches Yi how to do Fangshi battles. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-leer) ### 天（ㄊㄧㄢ）道（ㄉㄠˋ）議（ㄧˋ）會（ㄏㄨㄟˋ） Tian-dao council The organization that governs the New Kunlun. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-tiandao-council) ### 天（ㄊㄧㄢ）禍（ㄏㄨㄛˋ） Tian-huo The disease that made Solarians into doomsday panic. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-tianhuo) ### 新（ㄒㄧㄣ）崑（ㄎㄨㄣ）崙（ㄌㄨㄣˊ） New Kun-lun The place where the main story is taken in. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-new-kunlun) ### 殷（一ㄣ） Ying The country that made the Multi-tool. [Reference pronunciation]() ### 夸（ㄎㄨㄚ）伏（ㄈㄨˊ） Kua-fu The first sol of the encounter has a gorgeous, realistic statue. Some common mispronunciations include: * Assigning the "fu" portion of the name a down-pressed tone, it should rather be the uprising tone. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-kuafu) ### 蚩（ㄔ）尤（ㄧㄡˊ） Chi-you The self-claimed scholar war machine merchant Reference pronunciation: TBD ### 山（ㄕㄢ）海（ㄏㄞˇ）9000 Shan-hai 9000 Assistant robots first found in the Four Seasons Pavilion [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-shanhai-9000) ### 太（ㄊㄞˋ）極（ㄐㄧˊ）踢（ㄊㄧ） Tai-chi kick The mid-air parry skill Some common mispronunciations include: * Pronouncing the "ch" portion as "ch" instead of "j" [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-taichi-kick) ### 恆（ㄏㄥˊ） Heng The one that sends voice messages to Yi. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-heng) ### 勾（ㄍㄡ）芒（ㄇㄤˊ） Gou-mang The second sol of encounter that has a wing. Some common mispronunciations include: * Making the "a" portion of the name sound like "ay" as in "way", it should rather be pronounced like the "o" portion of "among" * Making the "n" portion of the name sound like "n(g)" as in "sun" or "among", the ㄤ phonetic symbol has a much open closure than -n and -ng suffix where while the jaws do also slightly closes, the tongue will not touch the palate of your mouth when pronouncing this voice. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-goumang) ### 殭（ㄐㄧㄤ）屍（ㄕ） Jian-shi Chinese zombies. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-jianshi) ### 屍（ㄕ）？ The big, tall Jian-shi soldier that Goumang adopted. Reference pronunciation: TBD ### 屍（ㄕ）？ The small, short Jian-shi soldir that Goumang adopted. Reference pronunciation: TBD ### 奄（ㄧㄢ）老（ㄌㄠˇ） Yan-lao The third sol that manages the repository areas [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-yanlao) ### 鐵（ㄊㄧㄝˇ）燄（ㄧㄢˋ） Celestial Enforcer: Tie-yan The mini-boss in the Inner Warehouse area. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-celestial-enforcer-tieyan) ### 刑（ㄒㄧㄥˊ）天（ㄊㄧㄢ） Xing-tian The war machine Yanlao summons to stop you. Reference pronunciation: TBD --- ### 截（ㄐㄧㄝˊ）全（ㄑㄩㄢˊ） Jie-quan The fourth sol that manages the factory areas. Some common mispronunciations include: * Not pronouncing the "e" part, thus "Ji-chuan" * Pronouncing "q" as "k" instead of "ch" as in Qi [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-jiequan) ### 忍（ㄖㄣˇ）人（ㄖㄣˊ）所（ㄙㄨㄛˇ）不（ㄅㄨˋ）忍（ㄖㄣˇ），苦（ㄎㄨˇ）難（ㄋㄢˋ）鑄（ㄓㄨˋ）英（ㄧㄥ）雄（ㄒㄩㄥˊ） "Endure what others can't, for heroes are forged in agony." The engraving on the broken hammer in the Factory(Great Hall) area. The Chinese line doesn't appear in the English version of the game, it is, however, featured in the background music of the boss battle theme and is requested by players. Reference pronunciations: * [Normal version](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-endure-slogan) * [Slower version](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-endure-slogan-slower) * [Even slower version](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-endure-slowest) ### 截（ㄐㄧㄝˊ）通（ㄊㄨㄥ） Jie-tong Jiequan's ancestor. Some common mispronunciations include: * Not pronouncing the "e" part, thus "Ji-tong" [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-jietong) ### 昊（ㄏㄠˋ）天（ㄊㄧㄢ）球（ㄑㄧㄡˊ） Hao-tian sphere The death star-looking thing in the space. Some common mispronunciations include: * Pronouncing the "t" portion as "sh" rather than "t" [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-haotian-sphere) ### 蚨（ㄈㄨˊ）蝶（ㄉㄧㄝˊ） Lady Ethereal / Fu-dieh The fifth sol that manages the cortex center. This is the only Chinese name that is not transliterated in English, as a result, little to no mispronunciation occurs. Also, note that the Chinese name pronounces closely to "butterfly（蝴（ㄏㄨˊ）蝶（ㄉㄧㄝˊ）)". [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-lady-ethereal) ### 乾（ㄑㄧㄢˊ）坤（ㄎㄨㄣ） Qian-kun The chess game Yi gifted to ShuanShuan Some common mispronunciations include: * Pronouncing "q" as "k" instead of "ch" as in Qi [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-qiankun) ### 姬（ㄐㄧ） Ji The sixth(or eighth) sol that manages the grotto. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-ji) ### 伏（ㄈㄨˊ）羲（ㄒㄧ） Fu-xi The seventh(or sixth) sol that manages the Emporean district. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-fuxi) ### 女（ㄋㄩˇ）媧（ㄨㄚ） Nu-wa The eighth(or seventh) sol that manages the Emporean district. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-nuwa) ### 小（ㄒㄧㄠˇ）倩（ㄑㄧㄢˋ） Chien A mysterious dusk guardian at the bottom level of the Research Institute. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-chien) ### 易（ㄧˋ）公（ㄍㄨㄥ） Ei-gong The ninth sol that manages the research institute. Players tend to mispronounce the name as ay-gong or ai-gong, but it should rather be pronounced yi-gong. [Reference pronunciation](https://soundcloud.com/buo-ren-lin/ninesols-name-pronunciation-yigong) ## References The following external materials are referenced during the writing of this article: * [Bopomofo - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bopomofo) Wikipedia article that explains The Taiwanese Mandarin Phonetic Symbols. * [注音輸入法 - 維基百科，自由的百科全書](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%B3%A8%E9%9F%B3%E8%BC%B8%E5%85%A5%E6%B3%95) Wikipedia article that explains the Zhu-yin input method. * [Gemini - Mandarin Tone Marks Explained](https://g.co/gemini/share/4debcca422d1) Explains the tone marks of the Bopomofo phonetic symbols. * [Human mouth - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mouth) Explains the anatomy of the human mouth. * [cheshire — @林博仁(Buo-ren, Lin) I did a tl;dr for the tl;dr... | Discord](https://discord.com/channels/921295776758517781/922363223305498664/1250488214150582273) Provides easy-to-follow pronunciation of the names: ``` Yi: The letter "E" Shuanshuan: "Sh" plus the word "when" Lear: Lee-er Tian: Letters "T" and "N" Tao: Dow, like Dow Jones. Correctly written as "Dao" in pinyin but usually "tao" in English. Tian-huo: H followed by "woah." Initial sound is like British "hwhat." Kunlun: Lun as in "lunar" Kun is similar. Qi: Chee. Same as in tai'chi in English. Heng: Hung JiangShi: letter "G" followed by ong as in "long." Shh like a librarian. Fangshi: Same as jiangshi, but starting with F. Yan-lao: Y plus the end of "when." Lao like "loud." Fuxi: Foo + she. Jiequan: Letter "G" followed by "eh" like "meh." Q is pronounced like ch; "chwan" Xingtian: Shing TN. Kang-hui: Like kong in Hong Kong. Hui like H+whey, or the sound Grubfather makes in Hollow Knight. Hwey, hwey. ``` --- ## SoundCloud upload metadata ### Track link prefix ninesols-name-pronunciation- ### Primary genre Learning ### Additional tags * ninesols * chinese * pronunciation ### Description Refer https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275008587 for more info. ### Contains music No ### Artist 林博仁 Buo-ren Lin ### Licensing CC BY-SA ### Permissions Enable direct downloads