Beginner Chinese Reference
Pinyin & Pronunciation Guide
A quick reference for Mandarin Pinyin, tones, common pronunciation rules, and sounds that learners often mix up.
01 · Overview
Pinyin at a Glance
Use this section as a quick map of the initials and finals used in Mandarin Pinyin.
How a Pinyin Syllable Works
Initials 声母 (shēngmǔ)
Initials can be grouped by where the sound is produced in the mouth.
Bilabial · 双唇音 (shuāngchúnyīn)
Labiodental · 唇齿音 (chúnchǐyīn)
Tongue-tip, middle · 舌尖中音 (shéjiān zhōngyīn)
Velar · 舌根音 (shégēnyīn)
Palatal · 舌面音 (shémiànyīn)
Retroflex · 舌尖后音 (shéjiān hòuyīn)
Tongue-tip, front · 舌尖前音 (shéjiān qiányīn)
Finals 韵母 (yùnmǔ)
Finals are the vowel or vowel-like part of a syllable.
Simple Finals
Compound Finals
Nasal Finals
02 · Tones
Tones & Tone Changes
The Four Tones + Neutral Tone
1st Tone →
mā
High & flat
妈 · mother
2nd Tone ↗
má
Rising
麻 · hemp
3rd Tone ˇ
mǎ
Low / dipping
马 · horse
4th Tone ↘
mà
Falling
骂 · scold
Neutral
ma
Light & short
吗 · question particle
Third Tone + Third Tone
When two third-tone syllables come together, the first one is normally pronounced as a second tone.
你好
nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo
hello
很好
hěn hǎo → hén hǎo
very good
Tone Change of 不
不 is normally pronounced bù. It keeps the fourth tone before first-, second-, and third-tone syllables.
不吃
bù chī
not eat · before 1st tone
不行
bù xíng
not OK / cannot · before 2nd tone
不好
bù hǎo
not good · before 3rd tone
Before a fourth-tone syllable, bù → bú.
不去
bú qù
not go · before 4th tone
Tone Change of 一
Before a first, second, or third tone, 一 is usually pronounced yì.
一张
yì zhāng
one sheet / one piece
一条
yì tiáo
one long item
一种
yì zhǒng
one kind
Before a fourth tone, 一 is usually pronounced yí.
一块
yí kuài
one piece / one yuan
一 keeps its original first tone yī in certain situations, including ordinal numbers.
第一
dì yī
first
Neutral-tone Syllables
A neutral-tone syllable is pronounced more lightly and quickly. It does not carry a written tone mark.
妈妈
māma
mom
什么
shénme
what
朋友
péngyou
friend
对不起
duìbuqǐ
sorry
Sentence Stress
In natural speech, not every syllable has the same strength. Important information is often pronounced more clearly or strongly, while less important words may be lighter.
03 · Rules
Key Pinyin & Pronunciation Rules
Where Does the Tone Mark Go?
Rule 1: When a final contains two or more vowels, the tone mark goes on the vowel with the larger mouth opening.
| Final | Example | Tone Mark |
|---|---|---|
| ao | hao | hǎo |
| ou | kou | kǒu |
| ei | mei | méi |
| ui | gui | guì |
Rule 2: iu is an exception. It is the abbreviated form of iou, so the tone mark is placed on u.
六
liù
six
Common Pinyin Abbreviations
| Full Final | Written Form after an Initial | Example |
|---|---|---|
| iou | iu | 六 liù |
| uei | ui | 贵 guì |
| uen | un | 论 lùn |
六
liù
iou → iu
贵
guì
uei → ui
论
lùn
uen → un
ü with j, q, x
After j, q, x, the two dots on ü are omitted in writing.
| Written | Underlying Final |
|---|---|
| ju | j + ü |
| qu | q + ü |
| xu | x + ü |
With n and l, the dots remain: nǚ, lǜ.
Use of y and w
Point 1: Beginning with "i" → Use "y"
| Final | Written Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i, in, ing | yi, yin, ying (Add y) | 一 yī, 音 yīn |
| ia, ie, iao, ian, iang, iong | ya, ye, yao, yan, yang, yong (Change i to y) | 也 yě, 用 yòng |
| iu | you | 有 yǒu |
Point 2: Beginning with "u" → Use "w"
| Final | Written Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| u | wu (Add w) | 五 wǔ |
| ua, uo, uai, uan, uang, ueng | wa, wo, wai, wan, wang, weng (Change u to w) | 我 wǒ, 玩 wán |
| ui, un | wei, wen | 为 wèi, 问 wèn |
Point 3: Beginning with "ü" → Use "yu"
| Final | Written Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ü, üe, üan, ün | yu, yue, yuan, yun (Add y and remove the dots) | 月 yuè, 云 yún |
Syllable-dividing Mark '
Use an apostrophe when a new syllable beginning with a, o, or e could otherwise make the syllable boundary unclear.
西安
Xī'ān
Xi'an
天安门
Tiān'ānmén
Tian'anmen
Retroflex Final -r / 儿化
In some words and accents, 儿 is attached to the previous syllable and written as -r in Pinyin.
玩儿
wánr
to play
一点儿
yìdiǎnr
a little
04 · Compare
Sounds Learners Often Mix Up
Use the examples below to compare similar sounds.
j · q · x
jī · qī · xī
These sounds use the front part of the tongue. q has stronger aspiration than j.
鸡
jī
七
qī
西
xī
z · c · s
zǎo · cǎo · sān
Keep the tongue forward. c has stronger aspiration than z.
早
zǎo
草
cǎo
三
sān
zh · ch · sh · r
zhī · chī · shì · rì
These are retroflex sounds. The tongue position is farther back.
知
zhī
吃
chī
是
shì
日
rì
z · c · s vs zh · ch · sh
The main difference is tongue position: forward for z c s, farther back for zh ch sh.
早 / 找
zǎo / zhǎo
草 / 炒
cǎo / chǎo
四 / 是
sì / shì
-n vs -ng Finals
an / ang · en / eng · in / ing
-n ends farther forward in the mouth. -ng is produced farther back.
真 / 争
zhēn / zhēng
新 / 星
xīn / xīng
ian is closer to a “yen”-like sound than a full “i + an”. Example: 眼 yǎn.
üan also has a more front vowel sound, closer to “ü + en” than a full “ü + an”. Example: 元 yuán, 全 quán.
Aspirated vs Unaspirated Initials
The key difference is the strength of the air. The sounds on the right use a stronger puff of air.
八 / 怕
bā / pà
b / p
大 / 他
dà / tā
d / t
哥 / 科
gē / kē
g / k
鸡 / 七
jī / qī
j / q
知 / 吃
zhī / chī
zh / ch
早 / 草
zǎo / cǎo
z / c
u vs ü
For ü, keep the tongue in an “ee” position while rounding the lips. Do not pronounce it like u.
路 / 绿
lù / lǜ
努 / 女
nǔ / nǚ
Example: typing nv can produce 女 nǚ.