Chapter 2 of 7 · Weeks 1–2
Pinyin and tones
The four tones and every sound in the language, with audio.
Every Chinese word on this page is tappable. Try .
Mandarin has about 400 syllables and four tones. That is the whole sound system. Get it roughly right now, and you can say every word you learn later.
How a syllable is built
Each syllable has three parts: an initial (the starting consonant), a final (the vowel part) and a tone. There are 21 initials and about 36 finals, and together they make about 400 syllables. English has thousands more possible syllables; Mandarin keeps a small set and uses tones to tell words apart.
The four tones
One syllable, ma, and five different words. Tap each card and copy it out loud. Exaggerate at first — you can soften it later.
Three tone changes you will hear every day
Dictionaries show each character’s own tone, but a few change in speech. These three come up in your very first words, so learn to expect them:
- Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a second tone. is said ní hǎo.
- 不 (bù, not) before a fourth tone becomes bú: is said bú shì.
- 一 (yī, one) before another syllable usually changes too: yí before a fourth tone (, yí gè), yì before the others.
If you forget them, people will still understand you. They are worth knowing mostly so the audio doesn’t surprise you.
Every sound, with audio
Below is the complete sound inventory, each sound said at native speed inside a common word. Many of these words are in your starter deck. Don’t try to memorize the chart. Play through it once out loud, then come back to the rows that feel strange.
The 21 initials — how a syllable starts
Here, each card corresponds to a starting consonant, clicking on it will play the sound of an example syllable that starts with that consonant.
Close enough to English — read them as you'd guess
The six liars — not what the letters suggest
The finals — how a syllable ends
Here, each card corresponds to how a syllable ends, which is the vowel part. Clicking on a card will play the sound of an example syllable that ends with that vowel part.
The simple finals
Vowel pairs
Ending in -n or -ng
Starting with i-
Starting with u-
Starting with ü-
A few spelling habits: ü is written u after j, q and x, and a final that stands alone takes a leading y or w, so i on its own is written yi. You will pick these up by reading pinyin; no need to study them.
Six letters that trip up English speakers
Most pinyin reads the way you would guess. These six don’t. Practice them until they stop surprising you.
Like the “sh” in “she”, said with a smile and the tongue tip behind the lower teeth (, xièxie — thanks).
Like the “ch” in “cheese”, in that same smiling position, with a puff of air (, qǐng — please).
“ts” as in “cats”, with a puff of air (, cài — dish).
“dz” as in “kids” (, zǒu — to walk).
Like the “j” in “jar”, with the tongue curled back (, zhōng — middle).
Between the English “r” and the “s” in “pleasure”; listen to , rì — sun.
What is good enough
The goal right now is clear pronunciation, not a perfect accent. You are ready to move on when you can say the four tones clearly on one syllable, and hear which tone a slow, clear speaker used. Clear and consistent is enough.
Want every possible syllable demonstrated? The free Yoyo Chinese pinyin chart plays all of them. And any word in the Dengdeng dictionary or in Pleco has native audio.
Today’s assignment · 20 min
Twenty minutes on this page, out loud. Start with the tone cards: play each one, copy it, exaggerate. Then go through the sounds row by row, saying each word after the audio. Give the six tricky letters a second round. You will hear the differences before you can say them, and that is normal.
