What is Hanyu Pinyin?

Hanyu Pinyin is the standard romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It represents pronunciation with Latin letters and tone marks.

How many tones are there in Mandarin?

Mandarin has four main tones plus a neutral tone. The tone changes the meaning of a syllable, so it is important to learn it with the sound.

Where do I place a tone mark?

Place the mark on a or e first. In ou, use the second vowel; in other vowel combinations, use the final vowel.

Can I search with tone numbers?

Yes. Search zhang1, zhang2, zhang3, zhang4, or zhang5 to find the corresponding tone.

Why is ü sometimes written as v?

Many keyboards use v as a convenient substitute for ü. After j, q, and x, ü is conventionally written as u.

How can I practice Mandarin pronunciation?

Start with one syllable, listen to every tone, then practice it in real words. Repeating short sessions with audio helps build accurate tone memory.

Characters

Learn Pinyin Online

Explore Mandarin pronunciation with tones, audio, and real example words.

Tip: Click any syllable to hear it and see example words.

Pinyin Chart

Search by a base syllable, tone mark (zhāng), number (zhang3), or ü/v.

408 / 408 syllables shown

Tones

Each syllable has one of five tones. Click a tone to hear it.

A

O

E

B

P

M

F

D

T

N

L

G

K

H

J

Q

X

Z

C

S

Zh

Ch

Sh

R

Y

W

How to Use This Pinyin Chart

Choose Overview to browse syllables by their initial, or Chart to see initials and finals together.
Search with a plain syllable such as zhang, a tone-marked syllable such as zhāng, or a number such as zhang3.
Click a syllable to hear its first tone and open example words.
Use the tone cards to compare the same syllable across all five tones.
Listen first, then connect the sound to its spelling and example words.

Pinyin FAQ

Ready to read in context?

Put these sounds into practice with graded Chinese readings.

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