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  • The same goes for t and k (in English). .... Another reason could be convenience: the superscript h's aren't available in most keyboards, so the IPA used a plain p to make it easy for linguists. Commented Jun 30, 2021 at 8:34
  • Thank you!! So in Chinese dictionaries will write /ph/ and /p/ and in English only /p/. Is my understanding right? Commented Jun 30, 2021 at 10:33
  • @Lasshatry: Yes. (And it's pʰ not ph.) Commented Jun 30, 2021 at 10:38
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    @Lasshatry: Since Mandarin Chinese doesn't have a phonemic voiced/unvoiced distinction for its plosive consonants, its speakers have adopted the convention (in Pinyin) of using p, t, and k for the aspirated sounds; and b, d, and g for the unaspirated ones. Commented Jun 30, 2021 at 20:06
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    @VladimirF: No. It's the vowel that distinguishes those words. Commented Jul 1, 2021 at 12:35