Pronunciation

Learn Chinese Pronunciation for Beginners

A complete guide to initials, finals and tones — pronounce every Chinese syllable correctly from day one.

1

Initials

The initial consonant of a syllable.

Ví dụ: b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l...
+
2

Finals

The vowel part, or vowel + final consonant.

Ví dụ: a, o, e, ai, ang, ing...
+
3

Tones

The pitch level of a syllable.

Ví dụ: mā, má, mǎ, mà, ma

Full syllable examples

bā
bInitials
āFinals
¯Tone 1
bā: eight
mǎ
mInitials
ǎFinals
ˇTone 3
mǎ: horse
lì
lInitials
ìFinals
ˋTone 4
lì: strength