Pronunciation is conceptualized as shaping the throat and mouth into the shape necessary to produce the desired vowel sound, and clearly articulating the initial consonant. There are four basic shapes for the throat and mouth, corresponding to four vowel types, and five methods of articulating consonants, one for each type of consonant. The four throat and mouth shapes are "opened-mouth" ("kaikou"), "level-teeth" ("qichi"), "closed-mouth" ("hekou" or "huokou"), and "scooped-lips" ("cuochun"). The five consonant types are denoted by the portion of the mouth most critical to each type's production: throat, or larynx ("hou"); tongue ("she"); molars, or the jaws and palate ("chi"); front teeth ("ya"); and lips ("chun").