Pinyin: the complete guide

Pinyin, in full 漢語拼音 (汉语拼音) Hànyǔ Pīnyīn, writes the sounds of Mandarin in Latin letters. Mainland China adopted it in 1958, it became the international standard (ISO 7098) in 1982, and Taiwan made it its official romanisation in 2009. It is how learners read pronunciation, how dictionaries are sorted and how most people type Chinese.

The one thing to accept on day one: the letters are borrowed, the sounds are not. Pinyin q, x, c, zh and e do not sound the way an English, German or Spanish reader expects. Every Mandarin syllable has three parts, an initial (the opening consonant), a final (the rest) and a tone. This guide takes them in that order.

The 21 initials

Group	Initial	Roughly	Example
Lips	b	p in "spy", no puff of air	爸 bà, father
	p	p in "pie", strong puff	怕 pà, to fear
	m	m	媽 (妈) mā, mother
	f	f	飛 (飞) fēi, to fly
Tongue tip	d	t in "sty", no puff	大 dà, big
	t	t in "tie", strong puff	他 tā, he
	n	n	你 nǐ, you
	l	l	來 (来) lái, to come
Back of tongue	g	k in "sky", no puff	高 gāo, tall
	k	k in "kite", strong puff	看 kàn, to look
	h	rougher than English h, towards "loch"	好 hǎo, good
Flat tongue, lips spread	j	like "j" in "jeep", tongue tip down	家 jiā, home
	q	like "ch" in "cheap", tongue tip down, strong puff	七 qī, seven
	x	between "s" and "sh", tongue tip down	西 xī, west
Tongue curled back	zh	like "j" in "jar", tongue tip up and back	中 zhōng, middle
	ch	like "ch" in "chart", tongue tip up and back	吃 chī, to eat
	sh	like "sh" in "shirt", tongue tip up and back	是 shì, to be
	r	between English r and the "s" in "measure"	人 rén, person
Tongue behind teeth	z	ds in "kids"	在 zài, at
	c	ts in "cats", strong puff	菜 cài, vegetable, dish
	s	s	三 sān, three

The pairs b/p, d/t, g/k, j/q, zh/ch and z/c do not differ by voicing, as English b and p partly do. They differ only by the puff of air. Hold a sheet of paper in front of your mouth: it should move for 怕 pà and stay still for 爸 bà.

The finals

Type	Finals	Examples
Simple vowels	a, o, e, i, u, ü	八 bā, 佛 fó, 喝 hē, 一 yī, 五 wǔ, 女 nǚ
Special	er	二 èr
Vowel combinations	ai, ei, ao, ou	愛 (爱) ài, 黑 hēi, 好 hǎo, 狗 gǒu
Nasal endings	an, en, ang, eng, ong	山 shān, 很 hěn, 忙 máng, 冷 lěng, 東 (东) dōng
Starting with i	ia, ie, iao, iu, ian, in, iang, ing, iong	家 jiā, 謝 (谢) xiè, 小 xiǎo, 六 liù, 天 tiān, 新 xīn, 想 xiǎng, 聽 (听) tīng, 熊 xióng
Starting with u	ua, uo, uai, ui, uan, un, uang, ueng	花 huā, 多 duō, 快 kuài, 對 (对) duì, 短 duǎn, 春 chūn, 黃 (黄) huáng, 翁 wēng
Starting with ü	ü, üe, üan, ün	女 nǚ, 學 (学) xué, 遠 (远) yuǎn, 雲 (云) yún

Several letters change value depending on their neighbours:

• i has three sounds. After j, q, x and most other initials it is the "ee" of "see": 七 qī. After z, c, s it is a buzzed continuation of the consonant: 四 sì. After zh, ch, sh, r it is a similar buzz with the tongue curled back: 十 shí. Neither buzz sounds like "ee".
• e alone is not "eh". In 喝 hē it is a back vowel close to "uh", made with unrounded lips. In ie and üe it is the "e" of "yes": 謝 (谢) xiè.
• ian sounds like "yen", not "yan". 天 tiān rhymes with "ten" more than with "tan". The same shift happens in üan.
• o after b, p, m, f is really "uo". 佛 fó sounds like "fwo".
• ong has the vowel of "book", not of "song".

Tone marks and where they go

Tone	Mark	Example
First, high and level	macron: ā	媽 (妈) mā, mother
Second, rising	acute: á	麻 má, hemp
Third, low, dipping	caron: ǎ	馬 (马) mǎ, horse
Fourth, falling	grave: à	罵 (骂) mà, to scold
Neutral	no mark	嗎 (吗) ma, question particle

The mark sits on a vowel, chosen by three rules in order:

1. If the syllable has a or e, the mark goes there: hǎo, xiè, kuài, xué.
2. In ou, it goes on the o: gǒu.
3. Otherwise it goes on the last vowel: liù, duì, guó, xióng.

The mark replaces the dot of i (nǐ, not a dot plus a mark) and sits on top of the dots of ü: nǚ, lǜ. Where marks cannot be typed, tones are written as numbers (ma1, ma2, ma3, ma4), and ü is typed as v. How the tones sound, and how they change next to each other, is covered in the guide to the four tones.

The spelling rules that trip people up

Pinyin shortens some spellings. The sound stays, the letters do not show it.

Rule	You see	It stands for	Examples
ü loses its dots after j, q, x, y	ju, qu, xu, yu	jü, qü, xü, ü	去 qù, 需 xū, 魚 (鱼) yú, 學 (学) xué, 雲 (云) yún
ü keeps its dots after n and l	nü, lü	contrasts with nu, lu	女 nǚ against 努 nǔ; 綠 (绿) lǜ against 路 lù
iou is shortened after a consonant	-iu	i + ou	六 liù, rhymes with "yo"
uei is shortened after a consonant	-ui	u + ei	對 (对) duì, rhymes with "way"
uen is shortened after a consonant	-un	u + en	春 chūn
Syllables beginning with i	yi, ya, ye, yao, you, yan, yin, yang, ying, yong	i, ia, ie, iao, iou, ian, in, iang, ing, iong	一 yī, 也 yě, 有 yǒu, 英 yīng
Syllables beginning with u	wu, wa, wo, wai, wei, wan, wen, wang, weng	u, ua, uo, uai, uei, uan, uen, uang, ueng	五 wǔ, 我 wǒ, 問 (问) wèn
Syllables beginning with ü	yu, yue, yuan, yun	ü, üe, üan, ün	月 yuè, 元 yuán
Apostrophe before a, o, e inside a word	Xī'ān	two syllables	西安 Xī'ān against 先 xiān

Three consequences are worth memorising. The u in ju, qu, xu and yu is always ü, because j, q and x never combine with a plain u. The u in 春 chūn is a real u, and the u in 雲 (云) yún is not. And y and w are mostly spelling devices that mark where a syllable starts, which is why 五 wǔ is just a long u.

zh, ch, sh, r versus j, q, x

To most beginners these are two sets of the same three sounds. They are made in different places.

• zh, ch, sh, r: the tip of the tongue lifts and curls slightly back towards the ridge behind the upper teeth. Lips are neutral or slightly rounded.
• j, q, x: the tip of the tongue stays down behind the lower teeth, the flat middle of the tongue rises to the palate, and the lips spread as for a smile.

The spelling helps. j, q and x occur only before i and ü sounds. zh, ch, sh and r never occur before them. So in 西 xī the i is "ee", and in 師 (师) shī it is the buzz.

Flat tongue	Curled tongue
雞 (鸡) jī, chicken	知 zhī, to know
七 qī, seven	吃 chī, to eat
西 xī, west	師 (师) shī, teacher
小 xiǎo, small	少 shǎo, few
牆 (墙) qiáng, wall	長 (长) cháng, long

A third set, z, c, s, is made with the tongue flat behind the teeth. Many speakers in southern China and Taiwan pronounce zh, ch, sh almost like z, c, s, so 四十四 sìshísì (forty-four) can sound like "sì sí sì". Learn the standard contrast and expect to hear less of it.

The neutral tone

Some syllables are short, light and toneless, and are written without a mark. Their pitch depends on the tone before them. You find the neutral tone in:

• particles: 的 de, 了 le, 嗎 (吗) ma, 吧 ba
• suffixes: 我們 (我们) wǒmen, we; 桌子 zhuōzi, table
• repeated syllables: 媽媽 (妈妈) māma, mum; 謝謝 (谢谢) xièxie, thanks
• the second syllable of many everyday words: 朋友 péngyou, friend

It can change meaning: 東西 (东西) dōngxi is "thing", dōngxī is "east and west". Taiwanese Mandarin uses the neutral tone less than Beijing speech, and many second syllables keep their full tone there, so dictionaries from the two sides sometimes disagree.

Which sounds are hard for speakers of different languages

These are typical patterns that teachers describe and that Kungfucius has heard in many classrooms, not laws. Your own ear may differ.

If you speak	Usually hard	Why
English	j, q, x against zh, ch, sh; ü; c at the start of a word; e; tones on questions	English has one "ch/sh/j" set, no ü, and ts only at the end of words. English readers also give Pinyin letters English values, and raise the pitch for questions, which bends the tone.
German	z, c, s; zh, ch, sh; j; w; ei and ie	Pinyin z is not German z (that is closer to Pinyin c), s is never voiced as in "Sonne", j is not German "ja", w is not v, and ei is "ay", not "eye". On the bright side, ü is the vowel of "für" and x is close to the ch in "ich".
French	p, t, k against b, d, g; h; -n and -ng; r	French p, t, k have no puff of air, so they sound like Pinyin b, d, g. French h is silent. French speakers tend to turn an, en, in into nasal vowels instead of pronouncing the n or ng. The ü of "tu" is a gift.
Spanish	p, t, k against b, d, g; ü and e; sh and x; zh and j; -ng	Spanish stops also lack the puff. Spanish has five vowels and no ü. Most varieties have no "sh". Readers also give j, z and h their Spanish values.
Japanese	l against r; f; -n against -ng; u, ü and e; zh, ch, sh	Japanese has one r/l sound, a softer f, one final nasal and an unrounded u. Its own "sh", "ch" and "j" are close to x, q and j, so the curled set is the new one. Japanese readings of the same characters can interfere.
Korean	f; l against r; z/c/s against zh/ch/sh against j/q/x	Korean has no f, so 飛 (飞) fēi tends towards "pei", and one consonant covers l and r. It has one series of "j/ch" sounds where Mandarin has three. The puff-of-air contrast and the -n/-ng endings are already familiar.
Vietnamese	p, k, q, ch, c with a puff; z and c; ü; tones 3 and 4	Vietnamese has only one strongly puffed stop, th, and no "ts" sounds. Speakers often map Mandarin tones onto the nearest Vietnamese ones, which is close but not identical. Southern speakers have curled sounds of their own and find zh, sh, r easier.
Thai	zh, ch, sh against j, q, x against z, c, s; x and sh; ü; r; the third and neutral tones	Thai has the puff-of-air contrast and five tones, so those ideas are familiar. But it has one "j/ch" series, only one s-sound and no ü, and the Thai tones do not line up one to one with the Mandarin ones.

Speakers of tonal languages do not get tones for free. They get the idea of tones for free, and then have to unlearn their own set. More on training the ear is under pronunciation and tones.

Zhuyin, Wade-Giles and Tongyong: the other spellings you will meet

Zhuyin (注音符號 (注音符号) Zhùyīn fúhào), nicknamed Bopomofo after its first four symbols ㄅㄆㄇㄈ, is a set of 37 phonetic symbols used in Taiwan to teach children to read and to type. It is not a romanisation, which is its strength: no letter tempts you to pronounce it the English way.

Wade-Giles is the older romanisation behind spellings such as Taipei, Kaohsiung and "tai chi". It marks the puff of air with an apostrophe, which people then leave out.

Tongyong Pinyin was Taiwan's official system from 2002 to 2008. Hanyu Pinyin replaced it on 1 January 2009, but Tongyong survives on signs and district names, particularly in Kaohsiung.

Characters	Hanyu Pinyin	Wade-Giles	Tongyong	Zhuyin
中國 (中国), China	Zhōngguó	Chung-kuo	Jhongguo	ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ
七, seven	qī	ch'i	ci	ㄑㄧ
旗津, a Kaohsiung district	Qíjīn	Ch'i-chin	Cijin	ㄑㄧˊ ㄐㄧㄣ

The Wade-Giles and Tongyong columns are shown without tones. If a Taiwanese street sign seems to spell the same road three ways, it probably does.

Why Taiwan spells the same place in different ways

Kungfucius's observation from years of reading signboards there: Taiwan is very inconsistent in romanisation. Hanyu Pinyin has been the national standard since 2009, but some places use it, others do not, and the same place can be spelled differently on two signs within sight of each other.

• The big names stay in older spellings. Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Hsinchu and Keelung have kept their established forms. In Hanyu Pinyin they would be Taibei, Gaoxiong, Taizhong, Xinzhu and Jilong, which you will almost never see on a sign.
• Many districts and smaller towns use Hanyu Pinyin. Banqiao (板橋), next to Taipei, is the standard spelling today. Older maps and documents have Panchiao (Wade-Giles), and Banciao (Tongyong) is still around.
• Tamsui or Danshui. 淡水 is Dànshuǐ in Mandarin, and "Danshui" was used officially for some years, also by the Taipei Metro. In 2011 the local government asked for the historic, Hokkien-based "Tamsui" to be used in English, and the metro station and line now carry that name.
• Xinbei or New Taipei. When Taipei County became the city of 新北 Xīnběi in 2010, its English name was first "Xinbei City". After public objection it was officially changed to "New Taipei City" on 31 December 2010.
• Different cities, different systems. Taipei switched its street signs to Hanyu Pinyin in the early 2000s. Kaohsiung still uses Tongyong Pinyin on its streets and metro, which is why its harbour district is Cijin and not Qijin.

The practical lesson: in Taiwan, never rely on the Latin spelling to find a place or to work out its pronunciation. Check the characters, or look the name up with Zhuyin or Pinyin in a dictionary.

How do you type Chinese with Pinyin?

Switch on a Pinyin keyboard, type the syllables without tones, and choose the characters from the list: "nihao" gives 你好. Type v for ü, so "nv" gives 女 and "lv" gives 綠 (绿). Typing whole words or phrases gives better suggestions than typing one syllable at a time. In Taiwan most people type with Zhuyin instead, but Pinyin input for Traditional characters is available on all major systems.

How long does it take to learn Pinyin?

Kungfucius's estimate, not a measured figure: one to two weeks of daily practice to read any Pinyin syllable aloud without guessing, and several months before the difficult sounds come out right in conversation. The first stage is memory. The second is muscle.

What to do next

1. Work through a Pinyin chart with audio, one row of initials per day, repeating aloud.
2. Drill the confusable pairs from this page: bà and pà, qī and chī, xī and shī, nǔ and nǚ.
3. Record yourself and compare with a native recording, or have a tutor correct you early.
4. Look up every new word in Pleco and listen to it instead of guessing from the spelling.
5. Then move on to characters. Pinyin is a ladder. Do not move in.