Hànyǔ pīnyīn

汉语拼音
Chinese Phonetics
 Initial Tone

Final
Syllable

你
Chinese Character
shēngmǔ
声母 Initials
• There are 21 initials in Chinese

b p m f
d t n l
g k h
j q x
zh ch sh r
z c s
 yùnmǔ
韵母 Finals
Simple
Compound Vowels Nasal Simple or Compound Vowels
Vowels

a ai ao an ang
o ou ong
e ei er en eng
iou
i ia iao ie ian in iang ing iong
(iu)
uei uen
u ua uo uai uan uang ueng
(ui) (un)
ü üe üan ün
shēngdiào
声调 Tone
• The 1st tone: high-flat tone
• The 2nd tine: rising tone
• The 3rd tone: falling-and-rising tone
• The 4th tone: falling tone
yīnjié
音节 Syllables
In Chinese, a syllable is composed of:
• An initial (shēngmǔ)
• A final (yùnmǔ)
• A tone (shēngdiào)

Syllable Initial Final Tone

māo (cat) m ao
yú (fish) ü
jiě (elder sister) j ie
èr (two) er
 b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s

a a ba pa ma fa da ta na la ga ka ha zha cha sha za ca sa

ai ai bai pai mai dai tai nai lai gai kai hai zhai chai shai zai cai sai

an an ban pan man fan dan tan nan lan gan kan han zhan chan shan ran zan can san

ang ang bang pang mang fang dang tang nang lang gang kang hang zhang chang shang rang zang cang sang

ao ao bao pao mao dao tao nao lao gao kao hao zhao chao shao rao zao cao sao

o o bo po mo fo

ong ong dong tong nong long gong kong hong zhong chong rong zong cong song

ou ou pou mou fou dou tou lou gou kou hou zhou chou shou rou zou cou sou

e e me de te ne le ge ke he zhe che she re ze ce se

ei ei bei pei mei fei dei nei lei gei hei zhei shei zei

en en ben pen men fen nen gen ken hen zhen chen shen ren zen cen sen

eng eng beng peng meng feng deng teng neng leng geng keng heng zheng cheng sheng reng zeng ceng seng

er er
 b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s

i yi bi pi mi di ti ni li ji qi xi zhi chi shi ri Zi ci si

ia ya dia lia jia qia xia

iao yao biao piao miao diao tiao niao liao jiao qiao xiao

ie ye bie pie mie die tie nie lie jie qie xie

iu you miu diu niu liu jiu qiu xiu

ian yan bian pian mian dian tian nian lian jian qian xian

in yin bin pin min nin lin jin qin xin

iang yang niang liang jiang qiang xiang

ing ying bing ping ming ding ting ning ling jing qing xing

iong yong jiong qiong xiong

https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-pinyin-chart.php
 b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s

u wu bu pu mu fu du tu nu lu gu ku hu zhu chu shu ru zu cu su

ua wa gua kua hua zhua shua

uai wai guai kuai huai zhuai chuai shuai

uan wan duan tuan nuan luan guan kuan huan zhuan chuan shuan ruan zuan cuan suan

uang wang guang kuang huang zhuang chuang shuang

uei wei dui tui gui kui hui zhui chui shui rui zui cui sui

uen wen dun tun lun gun kun hun zhun chun shun run zun cun sun

ueng weng

uo wo duo tuo nuo luo guo kuo huo zhuo chuo shuo ruo zuo cuo suo

ü yu nü lü ju qu xu

üan yuan juan quan xuan

üe yue nüe lüe jue que xue

ün yun jun qun xun

 轻声 Neutral Tone
• Soft & short
• No tone marker

māma bàba

yéye nǎinai
Look at the pictures and read the monosyllabic words aloud.

yī wǔ yú ěr

bǐ māo dǎo huā

jī qī xié xuě
Look at the pictures and read the disyllabic words aloud.

kāfēi kělè kǎoyā huǒɡuō

dìtú fēijī máobǐ ěrjī

Look at the pictures and read the monosyllabic words aloud

sān shān zhōnɡ yánɡ

línɡ cài shǒu xiónɡ

Look at the pictures and read the monosyllabic words aloud.

yún xīnɡ yuán rén

chuán chuánɡ chī rè

Look at the pictures and read the disyllabic words aloud.

bīnɡxiānɡ jīdàn sījī zúqiú

jīchǎnɡ páshān shǒubiǎo xiónɡmāo

 变调
Tone Modification
1. Change of the 3rd tone
A 3rd tone, when immediately followed by another 3rd tone,
should be pronounced as 2nd tone, but tone-graph remaining
unchanged.

V + V → / + V
nǐ hǎo ní hǎo
2. Change of the tone “不
(bù)”
• 不(bù) is a 4th tone syllable.
• 不(bù) becomes a 2nd tone (bú) when followed by a 4th tone.

不bù + \ → 不bú + \
不是 bú shì
不要 bú yào
 3. Change of the tone “一(yī)”
• 一(yī) is a 1st tone syllable.
• 一(yī) becomes a 4th tone (yì) when followed by 1st, 2nd & 3rd tone
syllable.
• 一(yī) becomes a 2nd tone (yí) when followed by a 4th tone.

─ ─ 一天 yì tiān
一yī + / → 一yì + / 一年 yì nián
V V 一起 yìqǐ

一yī + \ → 一yí + \ 一定 yídìng

 拼音规则
Rules of Spelling
1. i, u, ü can respectively
form syllables alone
When “i”,“u”&“ü”form syllables by themselves, written
as “yi”，“wu”&“yü”

i → yi
u → wu
ü → yu
2. Finals beginning with “i”
“i”is written as “y ”

ia → ya ie → ye
iao → yao iou → you
ian → yan iang → yang
iong → yong
in → yin ing → ying
3. Finals beginning with “ u ”
“ u ” is written as “ w ”

ua → wa uo → wo

uai → wai uei → wei

uan → wan uen → wen

uang → wang
4. Finals beginning with “ü ”
“ü ” when used without an initial
“ y ”should be added before “ü ”
 2 dots over“ü ”are omitted

üe → yue üan → yuan

ün → yun
5. “ü ”is written as “u”when
used before j, q, x or y
“ü ” when used without an initial
“ y ”should be added before “ü ”
 2 dots over“ü ”are omitted

j ju jù zi

q qu gē qǔ
+ü
x xu xū yào

y yu dà yǔ
6. Spelling rules of “iou”,
“uei ”& “uen ”
“iou”, “uei ”& “uen ”when used after an initial, should be
written as “iu”, “ui ”& “un ”

l + iòu → liù sh + uěi → shuǐ c + uēn → cūn

x + iōu → xiū g + uèi → guì t + uēn → tūn

7. Syllable-dividing mark (’)
To separate 2 syllables when 2nd syllable begins with
“a ”,“o ”or“e ”

nǚ'ér

kě'ài
儿化韵 Retroflexed Ending
• The syllables consisting of “er ” do not have an initial:

儿 ér 耳 ěr 二 èr
• “er ”can be attached to another initial to form a retroflexed
final. It is shown by adding “r ”to the original final:

哪(nǎ) + 儿(ér) → 哪儿(nǎr)

花(huā) + 儿(ér) → 花儿(huār)