Hanyu Pinyin spells Mandarin sounds with the Latin alphabet plus four tone marks. Every syllable is built from one initial (consonant) and one final (vowel + optional ending), pronounced on one of 4 tones (or neutral).
Tone changes the word entirely — getting tones wrong is the most common source of confusion.
| ∅ / final | a | o | e | i | u | ü | ai | ei | ao | ou | an | en | ang | eng | ong | er | ia | ie | iao | iu | ian | in | iang | ing | iong | ua | uo | uai | ui | uan | un | uang | ueng | üe | üan | ün |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ∅ | a | o | e | yi | wu | yu | ai | ei | ao | ou | an | en | ang | eng | — | er | ya | ye | yao | you | yan | yin | yang | ying | yong | wa | wo | wai | wei | wan | wen | wang | weng | yue | yuan | yun |
| b | ba | bo | — | bi | bu | — | bai | bei | bao | — | ban | ben | bang | beng | — | — | — | bie | biao | — | bian | bin | — | bing | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| p | pa | po | — | pi | pu | — | pai | pei | pao | pou | pan | pen | pang | peng | — | — | — | pie | piao | — | pian | pin | — | ping | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| m | ma | mo | me | mi | mu | — | mai | mei | mao | mou | man | men | mang | meng | — | — | — | mie | miao | miu | mian | min | — | ming | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| f | fa | fo | — | — | fu | — | — | fei | — | fou | fan | fen | fang | feng | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| d | da | — | de | di | du | — | dai | dei | dao | dou | dan | den | dang | deng | dong | — | — | die | diao | diu | dian | — | — | ding | — | — | duo | — | dui | duan | dun | — | — | — | — | — |
| t | ta | — | te | ti | tu | — | tai | — | tao | tou | tan | — | tang | teng | tong | — | — | tie | tiao | — | tian | — | — | ting | — | — | tuo | — | tui | tuan | tun | — | — | — | — | — |
| n | na | — | ne | ni | nu | nü | nai | nei | nao | nou | nan | nen | nang | neng | nong | — | — | nie | niao | niu | nian | nin | niang | ning | — | — | nuo | — | — | nuan | — | — | — | nüe | — | — |
| l | la | — | le | li | lu | lü | lai | lei | lao | lou | lan | — | lang | leng | long | — | lia | lie | liao | liu | lian | lin | liang | ling | — | — | luo | — | — | luan | lun | — | — | lüe | — | — |
| g | ga | — | ge | — | gu | — | gai | gei | gao | gou | gan | gen | gang | geng | gong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | gua | guo | guai | gui | guan | gun | guang | — | — | — | — |
| k | ka | — | ke | — | ku | — | kai | kei | kao | kou | kan | ken | kang | keng | kong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | kua | kuo | kuai | kui | kuan | kun | kuang | — | — | — | — |
| h | ha | — | he | — | hu | — | hai | hei | hao | hou | han | hen | hang | heng | hong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | hua | huo | huai | hui | huan | hun | huang | — | — | — | — |
| j | — | — | — | ji | ju | ju | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | jia | jie | jiao | jiu | jian | jin | jiang | jing | jiong | — | — | — | — | juan | jun | — | — | jue | juan | jun |
| q | — | — | — | qi | qu | qu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | qia | qie | qiao | qiu | qian | qin | qiang | qing | qiong | — | — | — | — | quan | qun | — | — | que | quan | qun |
| x | — | — | — | xi | xu | xu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | xia | xie | xiao | xiu | xian | xin | xiang | xiong | — | — | — | — | xuan | xun | — | — | xue | xuan | xun | |
| zh | zha | — | zhe | zhi | zhu | — | zhai | zhei | zhao | zhou | zhan | zhen | zhang | zheng | zhong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | zhua | zhuo | zhuai | zhui | zhuan | zhun | zhuang | — | — | — | — |
| ch | cha | — | che | chi | chu | — | chai | — | chao | chou | chan | chen | chang | cheng | chong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | chua | chuo | chuai | chui | chuan | chun | chuang | — | — | — | — |
| sh | sha | — | she | shi | shu | — | shai | shei | shao | shou | shan | shen | shang | sheng | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | shua | shuo | shuai | shui | shuan | shun | shuang | — | — | — | — |
| r | — | — | re | ri | ru | — | — | — | rao | rou | ran | ren | rang | reng | rong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | rua | ruo | — | rui | ruan | run | — | — | — | — | — |
| z | za | — | ze | zi | zu | — | zai | zei | zao | zou | zan | zen | zang | zeng | zong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | zuo | — | zui | zuan | zun | — | — | — | — | — |
| c | ca | — | ce | ci | cu | — | cai | — | cao | cou | can | cen | cang | ceng | cong | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | cuo | — | cui | cuan | cun | — | — | — | — | — |
| s | sa | — | se | si | su | — | sai | — | sao | sou | san | sen | sang | seng | song | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | suo | — | sui | suan | sun | — | — | — | — | — |
When a final starting with i, u, or ü appears with no initial, it is rewritten with y or w: i → yi, u → wu, ü → yu, ie → ye, iao → yao, ian → yan, in → yin, ing → ying, iong → yong, ua → wa, uo → wo, uai → wai, ui → wei, uan → wan, un → wen, uang → wang, ueng → weng, üe → yue, üan → yuan, ün → yun.
After j, q, x, or y, ü is always written u — but still pronounced ü: ju (jü), qu (qü), xu (xü), yu (ü). After n and l it keeps its dots: nü, lü.
iu is short for iou: liù = li-ou. ui is short for uei: huí = hu-ei. un is short for uen: chūn = chu-en.
Place the tone mark on a > o > e > the last letter when only i and u appear together (liú, guì). For "iu" the mark goes on u; for "ui" it goes on i.
When two third-tone syllables come together, the first becomes a second tone in speech: nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo. The written form keeps the original ǎ.
When you see "zi · ci · si · zhi · chi · shi · ri", the "i" is a buzzing continuation of the consonant, NOT a true "ee" sound.