Pinyin: complete guide to reading Mandarin
Learn pinyin from zero: initials, finals, tones, and spelling rules for correct pronunciation.
Overview
Pinyin is the bridge between the Latin alphabet and Chinese characters. Mastering it speeds up listening, speaking, and vocabulary memory.
Initials and finals
Combine consonants (b, p, m, d, t, zh, ch, sh…) with simple or compound vowels (ai, ei, ao, ou, ang, eng…).
Some differ from English: j, q, x, and ü need targeted practice.
Spelling rules
When tones conflict, mark only the main vowel: jiāo, not jīāo.
Pinyin is transcription, not a substitute for characters — always link it to hanzi.
Put it into practice
Practice pinyin with HSK vocabulary, native audio, and dictation in Chinese Trainer.