Tone 1 — high level
妈 mā
A high, steady pitch. Imagine holding a single note. English speakers often go too low — keep your voice up.
Chinese Pinyin Chart with Audio Click any cell to hear it — every Mandarin Chinese syllable, 403+ of them, in all four tones.
This is the complete Mandarin Chinese pinyin chart with audio — 21 initials, 38 finals, and every legal combination of the two. Pick a tone, click a cell, and you'll hear it pronounced. Confusable sounds are highlighted automatically so you can compare them side by side.
A pinyin chart is a table of every syllable in Standard Mandarin Chinese. The initials (the consonants a syllable can start with) run across the top, the finals (the vowel part, with or without a final -n or -ng) run down the side, and every filled cell is a real syllable. Mandarin has about 400 to 410 base syllables, depending on how rare and exclamation syllables are counted; this chart shows the 403 in standard use. Each one can carry one of four tones or the neutral tone, which is why a pinyin chart is played tone by tone.
Download the printable pinyin chart (PDF) ↓Tone:
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| 声/韵 | b · p · m · f | d · t · n · l | g · k · h | j · q · x | zh · ch · sh · r | z · c · s | ∅ | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | p | m | f | d | t | n | l | g | k | h | j | q | x | zh | ch | sh | r | z | c | s | ∅ | |
| a | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| o | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| u | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| uan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ong | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ueng | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ü | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üe | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ün | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SelectedConfusable with selectionTap any cell to hear it spoken in T1
Say the syllable you picked
Tap a cell above, then say it in each of its tones in one breath — each one gets a tone and a sound verdict.
Pick a cell in the chart to check it here.
Ten syllables that give English speakers away
Each sits in a real word. Say it and see which syllable’s tone and sounds came through.
支持zhī chí
zhi / chi — to support
How to read a cell
Each cell is an initial (the column: the consonant a syllable starts with) plus a final (the row: the vowel part, with or without -n or -ng). Empty cells are combinations Mandarin does not use: g, k and h never meet i or ü, and j, q and x only meet them. Three cells show how much the chart teaches:
- shi — sh (tongue curled back) + i. After zh, ch, sh, r, z, c and s the “i” is not “ee” but a buzzed continuation of the consonant, which is why shì 是 sounds nothing like xì 系.
- qu — q + what looks like u but is ü: after j, q and x the dots are dropped because plain u never follows them. qù 去 rhymes with yǔ 雨, not with bù 不.
- wo — no initial: the final uo is written wo when nothing comes before it, as in wǒ 我. Same vowel as duo, guo and zuo, two spellings.
The sounds English speakers miss
zh, ch, sh, r against j, q, x
zh, ch, sh and r are made with the tongue tip curled back toward the roof of the mouth; r is a buzzy sound, nothing like English r. j, q and x are made with the tongue flat and forward, lips spread. Mixing the two sets is one of the most common errors: compare shi and xi in the chart, then say both in the check above.
-an / -ang, -en / -eng, -in / -ing
For -n the tongue tip touches behind the top teeth; for -ng the tongue stays back and the sound goes through the nose. Many learners make every nasal the same.
Letters that mislead
| Pinyin | Often said as | Actually |
|---|---|---|
| q | “kw” as in queen | “ch” with a puff of air |
| x | “ks” as in x-ray | a light “sh”, tongue forward |
| c | “k” as in cat | “ts” as in bits |
| z | “z” as in zoo | “dz” as in adze |
| e | “ee” or “eh” | closer to “uh” |
| ü | “oo” | “ee” with rounded lips |
| -ian | “ee-an” | “ee-en” |
A ten-minute routine
- Pick one contrast (shi / xi, si / shi, -an / -ang) and play both cells in the chart several times.
- Say each one in its four tones with the check above; repeat the ones marked “close”.
- Run the ten diagnostic words; come back to the ones that slip the next day.
- Then add tones in context: the Mandarin tones tool drills all 20 tone pairs.
Pinyin in numbers Checked
- Initials
- 21: b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s. A syllable can also start with its vowel (the zero initial). y and w are spelling devices, not sounds of their own: i, u and ü are written yi, wu and yu when nothing comes before them.
- Finals
- This chart has 36 final rows, or 38 finals if the buzzing -i of zi, ci, si and of zhi, chi, shi, ri is counted separately from the i of ji. Textbooks give 35 to 39, depending on whether er, ê and those two -i vowels are listed on their own.
- Syllables
- 403 on this chart; about 410 in lists that add rare and exclamation syllables. With tones, about 1,300 syllable-and-tone combinations are in use, because not every syllable occurs in all four tones.
- Tones
- Four tones plus the neutral tone. 1st ā: high and level (5-5). 2nd á: rising (3-5). 3rd ǎ: low and dipping (2-1-4), usually just low in connected speech. 4th à: falling from high to low (5-1). The neutral tone is short, light and unmarked: ma.
- Tone marks
- Written over a vowel: on a if there is one, otherwise on o or e, and on the second letter of iu and ui. The dot of i is dropped under the mark (ī). Numbers are the plain-text alternative: ma1, ma2, ma3, ma4, ma5 or ma0 for the neutral tone.
What is pinyin, exactly?
Pinyin (拼音, literally "spell-sounds") is the official phonetic system that romanises Mandarin Chinese into the Latin alphabet you already know. It was developed in the 1950s in mainland China and has since become the global standard for teaching pronunciation, transcribing names, and typing Chinese on every modern device.
Every Mandarin syllable splits into three parts:
- Initial — the consonant that begins the syllable (b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s). Some syllables have no initial — we call those "zero-initial" syllables and they're shown in the rightmost column of the chart above.
- Final — the vowel-or-vowel-cluster that comes after, optionally ending in -n or -ng. There are 38 finals: simple ones (a, o, e, i, u, ü), diphthongs (ai, ei, ao, ou), nasal endings (an, en, ang, eng), and medial-glide combinations (ie, uo, üan, etc.).
- Tone — one of four pitch contours, plus a neutral tone for weak/unstressed syllables. The tone changes the meaning of the syllable completely. 妈 (mā, mother) and 马 (mǎ, horse) are the same initial and final — the only difference is the tone.
Multiply 21 initials × 38 finals and you get a theoretical maximum of 798 syllables, but Mandarin's phonotactic rules disallow many combinations (g/k/h never pair with i- or ü-finals, b/p/m never take ü, and so on). The actual count of valid syllables is around 403 — exactly what you see in the chart above.
The 4 Mandarin tones, explained
Tones are pitch contours, not stress patterns or volume. Once you can hear and produce all four, the rest of Mandarin pronunciation becomes dramatically easier. Click play on the demo below to hear the same syllable change meaning four times.
Hear all four tones — ma
mā · má · mǎ · mà
Audio uses your browser's built-in Mandarin voice. For higher-quality AI-evaluated practice, try the TonePerfect app.
Hear all four tones — shi
shī · shí · shǐ · shì
Audio uses your browser's built-in Mandarin voice. For higher-quality AI-evaluated practice, try the TonePerfect app.
Tone 2 — rising
麻 má
Pitch rises from medium to high. Think of how English speakers say "What?" in surprise.
Tone 3 — dip-rise
马 mǎ
Falls then rises. The trickiest tone. In rapid speech, third tone often becomes just a low tone — that's normal.
Tone 4 — falling
骂 mà
A sharp, decisive fall from high to low. Think of an authoritative "No!" in English.
The 21 Mandarin initials
Initials are grouped by where in the mouth they're produced. The colours in the chart above match these articulation families.
- Bilabial / labio-dental
- b · p · m · f
- Made with the lips. b and p differ in aspiration — hold your hand in front of your mouth: p sends a strong puff, b doesn't. f is the only labio-dental (top-teeth-on-lower-lip).
- Alveolar
- d · t · n · l
- Tongue tip touches the gum ridge behind the upper teeth. t is aspirated, d is not. l and n are the same place — only the airflow differs.
- Velar
- g · k · h
- Back of the tongue against the soft palate. k is the aspirated partner of g. Pinyin h is rougher than English "h" — it's closer to the "ch" in "Bach."
- Palatal
- j · q · x
- Tongue body raised toward the hard palate. j, q, and x only ever combine with i- or ü-finals. They're the tense, sharp cousins of zh/ch/sh.
- Retroflex
- zh · ch · sh · r
- Tongue tip curls back toward the roof of the mouth. The most common accent giveaway for foreigners. The trick: don't flatten the tongue.
- Dental sibilant
- z · c · s
- Tongue tip near the back of the upper teeth, lips spread. z = English "ds", c = "ts", s = simple "s".
- Zero initial
- ∅
- No initial consonant — the syllable starts with the vowel directly. Spelt with y- or w- when the vowel is i, u, or ü (e.g. i → yi, u → wu, ü → yu).
The 38 Mandarin finals
Finals are the vowel(s) and any nasal ending. They split into six groups, each with its own row block in the chart above. Click any cell to hear how the same final sounds across different initials.
Simple finals
a · o · e · er
Single vowels. er only ever appears as a standalone syllable (儿/二/而) — it's the curled-tongue rhotic vowel.
Diphthongs
ai · ei · ao · ou
Two-vowel glides. The first vowel is stronger; you slide into the second.
Nasal endings (-n, -ng)
an · en · ang · eng
-n closes with the tongue tip on the gum ridge. -ng closes with the back of the tongue against the soft palate (mouth more open).
i-medial group
i · ia · ie · iao · iou · ian · in · iang · ing · iong
Starts with an i-glide. Spelling note: standalone they get a y- prefix (yi, ya, yong…).
u-medial group
u · ua · uo · uai · uei · uan · uen · uang · ueng
Starts with a u-glide. Standalone they get a w- prefix (wu, wa, wai…). Some are spelt iu, ui, un when they follow an initial (you, gui, cun).
ü-medial group
ü · üe · üan · ün
The German "ü" sound. Only ever appears after j, q, x, n, l, or alone. After j/q/x the umlaut is dropped in spelling (ju, qu, xun) — but the sound is still ü.
Pinyin spelling and tone mark rules
The chart shows each syllable the way it is written. These six rules explain the spellings that do not look like the sounds.
- Tone mark placement: put the mark on a if the syllable has one (hǎo, xiǎng); otherwise on o or e (zhōu, xué, méi); in iu and ui, on the second letter (liù, guì); otherwise on the only vowel (nǐ, lǜ).
- y and w replace a missing initial: i → yi, ia → ya, ie → ye, in → yin, ing → ying; u → wu, ua → wa, uo → wo; ü → yu, üe → yue, üan → yuan, ün → yun.
- ü loses its dots after j, q, x and y (ju, qu, xue, yuan), where u is impossible anyway, but keeps them after n and l, where both exist: nǚ (woman) vs nǔ (to strive), lǜ (green) vs lù (road).
- Three finals are shortened after an initial: iou → iu (liù), uei → ui (guì), uen → un (dūn). On their own they are written you, wei and wen.
- An apostrophe separates syllables when the next one starts with a, o or e: Xī’ān (two syllables) is not xiān (one).
- Typing ü on a keyboard: most pinyin input methods use v (nv for 女 nǚ, lv for 绿 lǜ).
Tone changes in speech
The chart plays each syllable on its own. In words and sentences three tone changes apply, and pinyin usually keeps writing the dictionary tone:
- Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a rising tone. 你好 nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo.
- 不 bù becomes bú before a fourth tone: 不是 bú shì, 不要 bú yào.
- 一 yī becomes yí before a fourth tone (一个 yí gè) and yì before the other tones (一天 yì tiān); it stays yī when counting or at the end of a word (第一 dì yī).
Type pinyin with numbers and get the marks with the pinyin tone mark tool; see which tones change in your own sentence with the tone sandhi checker. Reading pinyin with English habits? The pinyin guide for English speakers covers the letters that sound different from English.
5 common mistakes English speakers make
- 1. Reading pinyin like English. Pinyin x, q, c, and r have nothing to do with their English values. Always learn the sound first; the spelling is just a label.
- 2. Flattening retroflex initials. zh, ch, sh, r need a curled tongue. If your shi sounds the same as si, you're flattening. Use the chart to A/B them in the same tone.
- 3. Skipping tones. "I'll add tones later" is the biggest pronunciation trap. Tones are not decoration — they're part of the word. Practise every new word with its tone from day one.
- 4. Saying T3 fully each time. The full dip-rise is rare in fast speech; T3 usually surfaces as just a low tone. The chart plays the canonical version; native speakers reduce it.
- 5. Confusing -n and -ng endings. an vs ang, in vs ing — open the mouth more for the -ng version and let the back of the tongue rise.
Want feedback on your own pronunciation? The TonePerfect app records you saying each syllable, then scores your tone, initial, and final independently — like a native tutor sitting beside you.
Frequently asked questions
How many syllables are there in Mandarin Chinese?▾
Standard Mandarin has roughly 410 unique syllables when you ignore tones. Counting tones, that becomes about 1,300–1,600 distinct sounds (some tone slots are unused). This chart shows every valid initial-and-final combination, so you can see and hear them all in one place.
What is pinyin?▾
Pinyin (拼音) is the official Romanisation system for Mandarin Chinese. It uses Latin letters plus four tone marks (ā á ǎ à) to represent the sounds of Chinese. Native children learn pinyin before they learn characters, and almost every modern Chinese keyboard relies on it for input.
How is pinyin different from English pronunciation?▾
Pinyin reuses the Latin alphabet, but the sounds are not identical to English. For example, pinyin "c" sounds like English "ts" (as in "cats"), and pinyin "x" is a soft "sh" sound made with the tongue near the lower front teeth. The interactive chart above is the fastest way to hear the differences directly.
How many tones does Mandarin have?▾
Mandarin has four lexical tones plus a neutral (toneless) tone. T1 is high and level (ā), T2 rises (á), T3 dips then rises (ǎ), T4 falls sharply (à), and the neutral tone is short and unstressed. Tones change meaning: 妈 (mā, mother), 麻 (má, hemp), 马 (mǎ, horse), 骂 (mà, scold), and 吗 (ma, question particle).
Why are some cells in the chart empty?▾
Mandarin has strict phonotactic rules — not every initial-and-final pair is a real syllable. For example, "g/k/h" never combine with i- or ü-finals, and "j/q/x" only combine with i- or ü-finals. The empty cells show those gaps directly, which is itself a useful pronunciation lesson.
Can I practise saying these syllables and get feedback?▾
Yes. The TonePerfect app gives you AI-powered feedback on every syllable you record — tone accuracy, initial clarity, and final clarity, with a per-segment score. Tap any cell here to hear it, then open the app or take the free 3–5-minute test to see how close your pronunciation is.
Why does my "shi" sound different from native speakers?▾
The retroflex sounds (zh, ch, sh, r) are produced with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the hard palate. They are the most common "tell" of a non-native accent. Compare them with the dental sibilants (z, c, s) directly in the chart by clicking one and observing the highlighted "confusable" cells.
Is this pinyin chart free?▾
Yes. The interactive chart, audio playback, and all the explainers on this page are completely free to use, with no sign-up. The TonePerfect app extends this with personalised drills and AI-graded recordings if you want to go further.
How many initials and finals does pinyin have?▾
Pinyin has 21 initials (b p m f d t n l g k h j q x zh ch sh r z c s) plus syllables with no initial. Finals are counted in different ways: this chart has 36 final rows, which is 38 finals if the buzzing -i after z, c, s and zh, ch, sh, r is counted separately, and textbooks list 35 to 39. y and w are spelling devices, not initials.
Where does the tone mark go in pinyin?▾
On a if the syllable has one (hǎo); otherwise on o or e (zhōu, xué); in iu and ui, on the second letter (liù, guì); otherwise on the only vowel (nǐ). The neutral tone has no mark. The dot of i is dropped under the mark.
How do I pronounce pinyin as an English speaker?▾
Most letters are close to English, but some are not: q sounds like the ch in "cheap", x like a soft sh with the tongue tip down, c like the ts in "cats", z like the ds in "kids", zh like the j in "jump" with the tongue curled back, and r close to the s in "pleasure". After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r the letter i is a buzz, not "ee", so sì is not "see". Every syllable also needs its tone.
Related guides
Mandarin tones chart
The four tones and the neutral tone in one chart: pitch, tone mark and an example, with audio.
How to memorise Chinese tones — 5 methods that actually work
Memory hooks, spaced repetition, and audio drills.
妈 or 马? Don't confuse mom for a horse
Why tones matter — five embarrassing minimal pairs you should know.
Can I learn Chinese if I'm tone-deaf?
Spoiler: yes. Here's what tone-deaf actually means linguistically.
The best apps for practising Chinese tones in 2026
Honest comparison of pinyin trainers and tone drills.
HSK 1 vocabulary list with tones (+ audio)
All 150 HSK 1 words, grouped by tone pattern, with example sentences.
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Hearing isn't the same as speaking.
Once you've listened to a few hundred syllables, the next step is producing them yourself. TonePerfect's AI listens to your voice, scores each tone, initial, and final, and builds a personalised drill set for the sounds you struggle with most.