Pinyin looks like English letters, but a lot of them aren't pronounced the way you'd guess. This page is a reference: the 4 tones, all 21 initials, and every final, each with an English approximation and a real example word.
Every syllable in Mandarin is built the same way: an optional initial (a consonant sound) plus a final (a vowel sound), carried on one of four tones — plus a fifth, toneless option. Get the tone wrong and you get a different word, not just an accent: 妈 (mā) "mom" and 马 (mǎ) "horse" differ only in tone.
| Mark | Example | Name | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| ā | 妈 mā — "mom" | 1st tone | High and flat, held level — like holding a note when singing. |
| á | 麻 má — "hemp" | 2nd tone | Rises from mid to high — like asking "huh?" in disbelief. |
| ǎ | 马 mǎ — "horse" | 3rd tone | Dips low, then rises — low and a little creaky in normal speech. |
| à | 骂 mà — "to scold" | 4th tone | Sharp drop from high to low — like a firm "No!" |
| a | 吗 ma — "(question word)" | Neutral tone | Short and light, no mark — takes its pitch from the syllable before it. |
Tip: two 3rd tones in a row is hard to say, so the first one is actually pronounced as a 2nd tone. ("hello") is said more like ní hǎo, even though it's still written nǐ hǎo.
| Pinyin | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| b | "b" in "spy" — unaspirated, no puff of air | 爸 bà — dad |
| p | "p" in "pie" — with a strong puff of air | 怕 pà — afraid |
| m | "m" in "mom" | 妈 mā — mom |
| f | "f" in "fun" | 饭 fàn — food, rice |
| d | "d" in "stay" — unaspirated | 打 dǎ — to hit |
| t | "t" in "tie" — with a puff of air | 他 tā — he |
| n | "n" in "no" | 你 nǐ — you |
| l | "l" in "love" | 了 le — (particle) |
| g | "g" in "sky" — unaspirated | 狗 gǒu — dog |
| k | "k" in "kite" — with a puff of air | 看 kàn — to look |
| h | raspy "h", further back in the throat — like Scottish "loch" | 好 hǎo — good |
| j | "j" in "jeep", but tongue flat against the back of the teeth — unaspirated | 家 jiā — home |
| q | "ch" in "cheese", tongue flat, said lightly — with a puff of air | 七 qī — seven |
| x | "sh" said with a smile, tongue flat — softer/lighter than English "sh" | 谢 xiè — thanks |
| zh | "j" in "jar" with the tongue curled back — unaspirated | 中 zhōng — middle |
| ch | "ch" in "charge" with the tongue curled back — with a puff of air | 吃 chī — to eat |
| sh | "sh" in "shore" with the tongue curled back | 是 shì — to be |
| r | between an English "r" and "zh" — buzzy, tongue curled back | 人 rén — person |
| z | "ds" in "kids" — unaspirated | 在 zài — at, in |
| c | "ts" in "cats" — with a puff of air | 菜 cài — dish, vegetable |
| s | "s" in "sun" | 三 sān — three |
| Pinyin | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | "a" in "father" | 妈 mā — mom |
| o | "o" in "more", no glide | 波 bō — wave |
| e | "u" in "duh" — a flat, open "uh" | 车 chē — car |
| i | "ee" in "see" (after most consonants) | 你 nǐ — you |
| i | a buzzed, near-silent vowel (only after zh/ch/sh/r/z/c/s) | 是 shì — to be |
| u | "oo" in "moon" | 五 wǔ — five |
| ü | lips rounded like "oo", tongue saying "ee" — like French "u" (written u after j/q/x) | 去 qù — to go |
| Pinyin | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ai | "eye" | 爱 ài — love |
| ei | "ay" in "say" | 黑 hēi — black |
| ao | "ow" in "cow" | 好 hǎo — good |
| ou | "o" in "go" | 走 zǒu — to walk |
| an | "an" in "Ann" | 三 sān — three |
| en | "un" in "sun" | 很 hěn — very |
| ang | "ah" + nasal "ng" | 上 shàng — on, above |
| eng | "uh" + nasal "ng" | 冷 lěng — cold |
| ong | "oh" + nasal "ng" | 红 hóng — red |
| er | "ar" in American "bar", tongue curled back | 二 èr — two |
| ia | "ee-ah" said quickly, one syllable | 家 jiā — home |
| ie | "ee-eh" said quickly | 姐 jiě — older sister |
| iao | "ee-ow" | 小 xiǎo — small |
| iu | "ee-oh", like "yo" | 六 liù — six |
| ian | "ee-en", like "yen" | 天 tiān — day, sky |
| in | "in" in "pin" | 心 xīn — heart |
| iang | "ee-ahng" | 想 xiǎng — to want, think |
| ing | "ing" in "sing" | 请 qǐng — please |
| iong | "ee-ohng" | 熊 xióng — bear |
| ua | "wah" | 花 huā — flower |
| uo | "waw" | 我 wǒ — I, me |
| uai | "why" | 快 kuài — fast |
| ui | "way" | 对 duì — correct |
| uan | "wan" | 换 huàn — to change |
| un | "one" | 困 kùn — sleepy |
| uang | "wahng" | 光 guāng — light |
| üe | "ü" + "eh" (written ue after j/q/x) | 学 xué — to learn |
Where English speakers trip up: is not "kw" — it's a light "ch". is not "z" or "ks" — it's a soft "sh". is "ts", not "k" or "s". curl the tongue back; don't — that's the whole difference between them. And is never just "u": round your lips and say "ee".
