ü vs u
After j, q, x and y, ü is written as plain u — ju, qu, xu and yu all contain the ü sound, because u can never follow those letters. After n and l both sounds exist, so the dots stay.
- nǚ女woman
- nǔ努strive
- lǜ绿green
- lù路road
Chinese Pinyin Chart
Initials, finals, and tones — a free reference for Mandarin learners.
A Chinese pinyin chart maps every standard Mandarin syllable to Latin letters. Each syllable is an initial (the opening consonant) plus a final (the vowel part), spoken in one of four tones or a light neutral tone. Use it to check how a syllable is spelled and said before you study words or take an HSK test.
Initials × finals
21 initials · 37 finals · select a syllable to see its tones
Selectedmam + a
- 1mā
- 2má
- 3mǎ
- 4mà
- Nma
| Final | none | b | p | m | f | d | t | n | l | g | k | h | j | q | x | zh | ch | sh | r | z | c | s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| a | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| o | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| e | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| -i | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| er | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ai | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ei | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ao | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ou | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| an | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| en | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| eng | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ong | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finals starting with i | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| i | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ie | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iao | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iu (iou) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ian | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ing | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| iong | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finals starting with u | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| u | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ua | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uai | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ui (uei) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| un (uen) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| uang | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ueng | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Finals starting with ü | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ü | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üe | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| üan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ün | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Printable PDF
Full chart on one landscape page, black-and-white friendly. Made in your browser.
Chinese Pinyin Chart · Initials × Finals
Tones: 1 high level · 2 rising · 3 dip · 4 falling · neutral = no mark. Mark the tone on a/e first, o in ou, else the last vowel. Column “—” = no initial (y/w spelling). After j q x, ü is written u.
final—bpmfdtnlgkhjqxzhchshrzcsaabapamafadatanalagakahazhachashazacasaoobopomofoeemedetenelegekehezhechesherezecese-izhichishirizicisiereraiaibaipaimaidaitainailaigaikaihaizhaichaishaizaicaisaieieibeipeimeifeideineileigeikeiheisheizeiaoaobaopaomaodaotaonaolaogaokaohaozhaochaoshaoraozaocaosaoououpoumoufoudoutoulougoukouhouzhouchoushourouzoucousouananbanpanmanfandantannanlangankanhanzhanchanshanranzancansanenenbenpenmenfendennengenkenhenzhenchenshenrenzencensenangangbangpangmangfangdangtangnanglanggangkanghangzhangchangshangrangzangcangsangengbengpengmengfengdengtengnenglenggengkenghengzhengchengshengrengzengcengsengongdongtongnonglonggongkonghongzhongchongrongzongcongsongiyibipimiditinilijiqixiiayadialiajiaqiaxiaieyebiepiemiedietienieliejieqiexieiaoyaobiaopiaomiaodiaotiaoniaoliaojiaoqiaoxiaoiuyoumiudiuniuliujiuqiuxiuianyanbianpianmiandiantiannianlianjianqianxianinyinbinpinminninlinjinqinxiniangyangniangliangjiangqiangxiangingyingbingpingmingdingtingninglingjingqingxingiongyongjiongqiongxionguwubupumufudutunulugukuhuzhuchushuruzucusuuawaguakuahuazhuachuashuauowoduotuonuoluoguokuohuozhuochuoshuoruozuocuosuouaiwaiguaikuaihuaizhuaichuaishuaiuiweiduituiguikuihuizhuichuishuiruizuicuisuiuanwanduantuannuanluanguankuanhuanzhuanchuanshuanruanzuancuansuanunwenduntunlungunkunhunzhunchunshunrunzuncunsunuangwangguangkuanghuangzhuangchuangshuanguengwengüyunülüjuquxuüeyuenüelüejuequexueüanyuanjuanquanxuanünyunjunqunxun
chinesecopilot.app/pinyin · Hanyu Pinyin Scheme (1958)A4 landscape
4 tones + neutral
The same syllable in a different tone is usually a different word.
- mā妈Tone 1High and level · mother
- má麻Tone 2Rising · hemp
- mǎ马Tone 3Low, dipping · horse
- mà骂Tone 4Sharp fall · to scold
- ma吗NeutralLight and short · question particle
How to mark tones
Four rules cover every syllable.
- Step 1
Look for a or e
If the syllable has an a or an e, the mark always goes there.
mǎ · hěn · xiào
- Step 2
In ou, mark the o
ou is the one combination without a or e that has a fixed rule.
dōu · zǒu · shòu
- Step 3
Otherwise, mark the last vowel
In iu and ui, the second letter carries the mark.
liù · guì · duì
- Step 4
Leave neutral tones bare
Neutral-tone syllables get no mark. In plain text, tone numbers (ma3) are a common fallback.
māma · xièxie · de
Common traps
The spellings that trip up most learners.
The apostrophe隔音符号
When a syllable beginning with a, o or e follows another syllable, an apostrophe marks where one ends and the next begins. Without it, the word could be read as a single syllable.
- Xī'ān西安Xi'an (two syllables)
- xiān先first (one syllable)
- tiān'é天鹅swan
The neutral tone
Some syllables are said quickly and lightly, with a pitch set by the tone before them. They carry no mark. Grammar particles and the second half of many doubled words are neutral.
- māma妈妈mom
- xièxie谢谢thanks
- de的possessive particle
Erhua (-r)儿化
In northern speech, an r sound is often added to the end of a syllable. It is written by adding r to the pinyin; the 儿 is not read as a separate syllable. Many textbooks leave it out.
- huār花儿flower
- yìdiǎnr一点儿a little
- wánr玩儿to play
FAQ
What is a Chinese pinyin chart?
It is a table of every standard Mandarin syllable, arranged by initial (the starting consonant) and final (the vowel part). Each cell shows how that combination is spelled in pinyin, the official romanization used in mainland China and in HSK materials.
How many tones does Mandarin have?
Four main tones — high level, rising, dipping, and falling — plus a light neutral tone. The same syllable in different tones is usually a different word: mā (mother), má (hemp), mǎ (horse), mà (to scold).
What does the apostrophe in pinyin mean?
It separates syllables when the second one starts with a, o or e, so the word isn't misread. Xī'ān (西安) is two syllables; xiān (先) is one.
Why is ü sometimes written as u?
After j, q, x and y, the dots are dropped because a plain u can never appear there — so ju, qu, xu and yu are always pronounced with ü. After n and l, the dots are kept to tell nü from nu.
Is this a full pinyin course?
No. This page is a reference chart you can return to while studying. It won't teach speaking or listening on its own — pair it with real vocabulary, and use the HSK test to see where you stand.
Based on the 汉语拼音方案 (Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet). Last updated .