Hanyu Pinyin
Start with pinyin, then read Chinese characters.
Pinyin helps you pronounce Mandarin. Learn initials, finals, and tones first, then combine them into full syllables.
Blend Practice
ba
Choose an initial and a final to build a syllable, then see characters with that pinyin.
Tone Contrast
Compare the neutral tone and the four tones. Listen for pitch movement.
Initials
- b八 · bāunaspirated b/p sound
- p怕 · pàaspirated p sound
- m妈 · mām sound
- f发 · fāf sound
- d大 · dàunaspirated d/t sound
- t他 · tāaspirated t sound
- n你 · nǐn sound
- l来 · láil sound
- g哥 · gēunaspirated g/k sound
- k可 · kěaspirated k sound
- h好 · hǎoh sound
- j家 · jiāfront j sound
- q七 · qīfront aspirated q sound
- x西 · xīfront x sound
- zh中 · zhōngretroflex zh
- ch吃 · chīretroflex ch
- sh书 · shūretroflex sh
- r人 · rénretroflex r
- z字 · zìz/c sound without aspiration
- c草 · cǎoaspirated c sound
- s三 · sāns sound
Finals
Simple finals
aoeiuüer
Compound finals
aieiuiaoouiuieüe
Front nasal finals
aneninunünianuanüan
Back nasal finals
angengingongianguanguengiong
Common combined finals
iaiaoiouuauouaiueiuanuen
Whole-Recognition Syllables
zhichishirizicisiyiwuyuyeyueyuanyinyunying
Tones
- āfirst tone · high and levelmā 妈
- ásecond tone · risingmá 麻
- ǎthird tone · falling then risingmǎ 马
- àfourth tone · sharp fallingmà 骂
- aneutral tone · short and light, no tone markma 吗
Spelling Rules
- Where to place tone marksTone marks go first on a, o, or e. If none appears, mark the last i, u, or ü. In ui mark i; in iu mark u.
- Writing üWhen ü follows j, q, x, or y, the two dots are usually omitted: ju, qu, xu, yu. After n or l, keep the dots: nü, lü.
- Whole-syllable readingWhole-recognition syllables are read as complete syllables instead of being split into initial and final.
- Neutral toneNeutral tone is usually written without a tone mark and pronounced short and light.
All Syllables (A–Z)
Pick any syllable to see the common characters with that sound, grouped by tone, with example words.
aaianangaobabaibanbangbaobeibenbengbibianbiaobiebinbingbobucacaicancangcaocecengchachaichanchangchaochechenchengchichongchouchuchuanchuangchuichuncicongcoucucuancuicuncuodadaidandangdaodedengdidiandiaodiedingdiudongdoududuanduidunduoeenerfafanfangfeifenfengfofoufugaiganganggaogegegegeigengenggonggouguguaguaiguanguangguigunguohahaihanhanghaoheheihenhenghnghonghouhuhuahuaihuanhuanghuihunhuojijiajianjiangjiaojiejinjingjiujujuanjuejunkakaikankangkaokekenkengkongkoukukuakuaikuankuangkuikunkuolalailanlanglaoleleilenglilialianliangliaolielinlingliulongloululuanluelunluomamaimanmangmaomemeimenmengmimianmiaomieminmingmiumomoumunanainannangnaoneneinennengngninianniangniaonieninningniunongnunuannuoooupapaipanpangpaopeipenpengpipianpiaopinpingpopoupuqiqiaqianqiangqiaoqieqinqingqiongqiuququanquequnranrangraorerenrengrirongroururuanruirunruosasaisansangsaosesensengshashaishanshangshaoshesheishenshengshishoushushuashuaishuangshuishunshuosisongsoususuansuisunsuotataitantangtaotetengtitiantiaotietingtongtoututuantuituntuowawaiwanwangweiwenwengwowuxixiaxianxiangxiaoxiexinxingxiongxiuxuxuanxuexunyayaiyanyangyaoyeyiyinyingyongyouyuyuanyueyunzazaizanzangzaozezeizenzengzhazhaizhanzhangzhaozhezheizhenzhengzhizhongzhouzhuzhuazhuanzhuangzhuizhunzhuozizongzouzuzuanzuizunzuo