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.
Interactive Pinyin ChartClick any cell. Hear every Mandarin sound. 441+ syllables across all 4 tones.
This is the complete chart of standard Mandarin syllables — 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.
Free 2-min pronunciation test1,764 sounds · No sign-up · Free forever
Tone:
Loading Mandarin voice from your browser…
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| e | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| er | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ai | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ei | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ao | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ou | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| an | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| en | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| eng | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| i | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ie | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iao | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iou | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ing | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iong | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| u | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ua | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uai | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uei | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ueng | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ü | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üe | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ün | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SelectedConfusable with selectionTap any cell to hear it spoken in T1
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 441 — 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.
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 2-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.
Related guides
The 4 Tones of Mandarin (with audio examples)
A visual + auditory guide to T1–T4 plus the neutral tone.
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.
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.