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What is pinyin?
Pinyin is the system that writes Mandarin sounds in Latin letters. Each syllable has an initial (the starting consonant), a final (the vowel part) and a tone. Learning pinyin initials and finals first gives you a way to say every character you meet.
The four tones and the neutral tone
Mandarin tones change meaning: mā (mother), má (hemp), mǎ (horse), mà (to scold). Pinyin tones are marked over the vowel: high and flat (ā), rising (á), falling then rising (ǎ) and falling (à). A fifth, neutral tone has no mark.
Listen to mandarin tones many times before you try to copy them, and record yourself to compare.
How to practise chinese pronunciation
Use the pronunciation trainer on any character page: play the reference, say the character and see what the recogniser heard. Combine it with the text to speech tool to listen to full sentences, and with the pinyin converter to read text you have not learned yet.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn pinyin?
Most learners can read basic pinyin in a week or two. Tones take longer to hear and produce.
Do I need to learn pinyin before characters?
It helps a lot. Pinyin gives you the sound of every new character.
Ready to practise?
Paste any text and see pinyin with tone marks
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