Spanish
Italian
French
Russian
Japanese
Mandarin Simplified
Mandarin Traditional
Vietnamese
Cantonese
Shanghainese
TaiwaneseThe Complete Pinyin Chart
TL;DR: A Pinyin chart shows the building blocks of Mandarin pronunciation: 21 initials, about three dozen finals, and the roughly 400 toneless syllables they form. To read it, pick an initial, add a final, then add one of four tones or the neutral tone. A handful of spelling rules (y and w for syllables with no initial; ü written as u after j, q, x and y; and the shortened forms iu, ui and un) explain almost every spelling that looks odd. The chart is a lookup tool, not a list to memorise, and the sounds themselves have to be learned with audio.
Key takeaways:
- Every Mandarin syllable is an initial plus a final plus a tone. The chart on this page lists 406 standard toneless syllables plus six rare ones.
- Once tones are counted there are about 1,300 syllables, according to San Duanmu’s phonology work, and in his counts most syllables occur in three or four tones.
- Four spelling rules explain most of the chart’s apparent oddities: y and w stand in for i and u when there is no initial, ü is written u after j, q, x and y, iu, ui and un are shortened forms, and an apostrophe separates syllables like Xī’ān.
- Patterns in the chart make it easier to learn: for example, j, q and x only combine with i-type and ü-type finals, and only n and l combine with ü.
- A chart shows spelling, not sound. Learn the initials and finals with audio, and use the chart to look things up.
You can learn Pinyin without a chart, but you will keep running into the same question: “Is that a real syllable, and how do I spell it?” A good chart answers that at a glance, and it also reveals the system behind the spelling, which is smaller and more regular than it first looks.
This page lays out the complete chart: the 21 initials, the finals, the spelling rules, and a table of every standard syllable. If you are brand new to Pinyin, our guide to how to learn Pinyin properly covers the practice method, and our complete guide to Chinese pronunciation shows where Pinyin fits among tones and tone changes.
Pinyin Chart | How It Works at a Glance
Pinyin Initials | The 21 Starting Sounds
Pinyin Finals | The Vowel Endings
Complete Pinyin Chart | FREE Downloadable PDF File
Pinyin Alphabet | The Letters Behind the Chart
Pinyin Spelling Rules | What the Chart Hides
The Complete Pinyin Chart | Every Standard Syllable
Pinyin Table | Patterns Worth Noticing
How to Read Pinyin | A Syllable in Five Steps
How It Works at a Glance
A Pinyin chart shows the building blocks of Mandarin pronunciation: 21 initials, about three dozen finals, and the roughly 400 toneless syllables they form. To read it, pick an initial, add a final, then add a tone. This page lists every standard syllable, plus the spelling rules that explain the exceptions.
| Piece | What it is | How many |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | The starting consonant of a syllable (some syllables have none) | 21 |
| Final | The vowel part, sometimes with a nasal ending | About three dozen (counts range from about 35 to 38 by convention) |
| Tone | The pitch pattern: four tones plus a neutral tone | 4 plus neutral |
| Syllable | Initial + final + tone | About 400 without tones, about 1,300 with them |
Pinyin is the official romanisation system for Mandarin. For what it is and why you can speak Mandarin using it without learning characters, see our guide to speaking Chinese without learning characters.
Pinyin Initials: The 21 Starting Sounds
The 21 initials fall into six groups. The English comparisons are approximations, and audio is the real teacher. Several pairs differ mainly in breath: the first of each pair is said without a puff of air, the second with a strong one.
| Group | Initials | Closest English sound (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Lip sounds | b, p, m, f | b is close to the p in “spin” (no puff); p is like the p in “pin” (with a puff); m and f are like English |
| Tongue-tip sounds | d, t, n, l | d is close to the t in “stop” (no puff); t is like the t in “top” (with a puff); n and l are like English |
| Back-of-tongue sounds | g, k, h | g is close to the k in “sky” (no puff); k is like the k in “kit” (with a puff); h is like English h, often a little rougher |
| Front-of-tongue sounds | j, q, x | j is close to “j” in “jeep,” q to “ch” in “cheese,” and x to “sh” in “she,” all with the tongue further forward and softer |
| Curled-tongue sounds | zh, ch, sh, r | zh is close to “j” in “judge,” ch to “ch” in “church,” sh to “sh” in “shirt,” all with the tongue tip curled back; r is often described as a cross between English r and the s in “measure” |
| Hissing sounds | z, c, s | z is close to “ds” in “kids” (no puff); c is close to “ts” in “cats” (with a puff); s is like English s |
Some syllables have no initial at all, such as ā, ài, and ér. They are written either with the vowel alone or with y or w, as explained below.
Pinyin Finals: The Vowel Endings
Finals are the vowel part of a syllable, sometimes followed by a nasal ending (-n or -ng). Counts vary between about 35 and 38 depending on whether you include ê, er, and a few rare forms. This chart lists 37.
| Series | Finals | Written when there is no initial |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | a, o, e, i, u, ü | a, o, e, yi, wu, yu |
| Special | er, ê (rare) | er, ê |
| Compound | ai, ei, ao, ou | ai, ei, ao, ou |
| Nasal | an, en, ang, eng, ong | an, en, ang, eng, (ong appears only after an initial) |
| i-series | ia, ie, iao, iu, ian, in, iang, ing, iong | ya, ye, yao, you, yan, yin, yang, ying, yong |
| u-series | ua, uo, uai, ui, uan, un, uang, ueng | wa, wo, wai, wei, wan, wen, wang, weng |
| ü-series | üe, üan, ün | yue, yuan, yun |
Three of these finals deserve a warning for English speakers. The e in syllables like ge and he is closer to the “uh” in “duh” than to English e. The i in zi, ci, si, zhi, chi, shi, and ri is a buzzing continuation of the consonant, not “ee.” And ian is closer to “yen” than to “ee-an.” The full set of sound traps is covered in our guide to learning Pinyin.
Free Downloadable Pinyin Chart PDF File
Here is our FREE Downloadable complete pinyin chart that you might need
The Letters Behind the Chart
Pinyin is written with the Latin alphabet, so there is no separate “Pinyin alphabet” to learn beyond the letters you already know. Two adjustments matter. In standard Mandarin spelling, the letter v is not used except in foreign words and some dialect spellings (it often stands in for ü when typing). And one extra letter, ü, is added, along with the tone marks over vowels.
What makes the letters tricky is that they stand for Mandarin sounds, not English ones. That is why a chart plus audio beats a chart alone.
Pinyin Spelling Rules: What the Chart Hides
Four rules account for most of the spellings that look odd.
1. Syllables with no initial use y or w. Syllables that would start with i, u, or ü are written with y or w so they do not run into the previous syllable.
| Without an initial | Written as |
|---|---|
| i, in, ing | yi, yin, ying |
| ia, ie, iao, iu, ian, iang, iong | ya, ye, yao, you, yan, yang, yong |
| u | wu |
| ua, uo, uai, ui, uan, un, uang, ueng | wa, wo, wai, wei, wan, wen, wang, weng |
| ü, üe, üan, ün | yu, yue, yuan, yun |
2. ü is written as u after j, q, x, and y. Because only the ü-type vowel can follow those letters, the dots are dropped: ju, qu, xu, and yu are all pronounced with ü. After n and l, the dots stay, because both vowels can occur: nu and nü are different syllables, as are lu and lü.
3. Three finals are shortened after an initial. Written in full they are iou, uei, and uen, but after a consonant they appear as iu, ui, and un: liu, gui, dun.
4. An apostrophe separates syllables that begin with a, o, or e. It keeps words from running together: 西安 (Xī’ān) is two syllables, while 先 (xiān) is one.
Where a syllable has several vowels, the tone mark goes on a if there is one, otherwise on o or e, and in the combinations iu and ui it goes on the second vowel. The tones themselves are covered in our complete guide to Chinese tones.
The Complete Pinyin Chart: Every Standard Syllable
Each row below starts with an initial and lists every syllable it forms, in the order of the finals table above. This chart shows toneless syllables. Each can take one of the four tones or the neutral tone, though not every syllable occurs in every tone: San Duanmu counts about 1,300 syllables once tones are included, and in his analysis most syllables occur in three or four tones.
Syllables marked with an asterisk are rare: they occur in only a few characters or colloquial words.
| Initial | Count | Syllables |
|---|---|---|
| no initial (a, o, e, y-, w-) | 37 | a o e ê er ai ei* ao ou an en ang eng* yi ya yo ye yao you yan yin yang ying yong wu wa wo wai wei wan wen wang weng yu yue yuan yun |
| b | 16 | ba bo bai bei bao ban ben bang beng bi bie biao bian bin bing bu |
| p | 17 | pa po pai pei pao pou pan pen pang peng pi pie piao pian pin ping pu |
| m | 19 | ma mo me mai mei mao mou man men mang meng mi mie miao miu mian min ming mu |
| f | 9 | fa fo fei fou fan fen fang feng fu |
| d | 23 | da de dai dei dao dou dan den dang deng dong di dia die diao diu dian ding du duo dui duan dun |
| t | 20 | ta te tai tei* tao tou tan tang teng tong ti tie tiao tian ting tu tuo tui tuan tun |
| n | 24 | na ne nai nei nao nou nan nen nang neng nong ni nie niao niu nian nin niang ning nu nuo nuan nü nüe |
| l | 26 | la lo le lai lei lao lou lan lang leng long li lia lie liao liu lian lin liang ling lu luo luan lun lü lüe |
| g | 19 | ga ge gai gei gao gou gan gen gang geng gong gu gua guo guai gui guan gun guang |
| k | 19 | ka ke kai kei kao kou kan ken kang keng kong ku kua kuo kuai kui kuan kun kuang |
| h | 19 | ha he hai hei hao hou han hen hang heng hong hu hua huo huai hui huan hun huang |
| j | 14 | ji jia jie jiao jiu jian jin jiang jing jiong ju jue juan jun |
| q | 14 | qi qia qie qiao qiu qian qin qiang qing qiong qu que quan qun |
| x | 14 | xi xia xie xiao xiu xian xin xiang xing xiong xu xue xuan xun |
| zh | 20 | zha zhe zhai zhei* zhao zhou zhan zhen zhang zheng zhong zhi zhu zhua zhuo zhuai zhui zhuan zhun zhuang |
| ch | 19 | cha che chai chao chou chan chen chang cheng chong chi chu chua* chuo chuai chui chuan chun chuang |
| sh | 19 | sha she shai shei shao shou shan shen shang sheng shi shu shua shuo shuai shui shuan shun shuang |
| r | 15 | re rao rou ran ren rang reng rong ri ru rua* ruo rui ruan run |
| z | 17 | za ze zai zei zao zou zan zen zang zeng zong zi zu zuo zui zuan zun |
| c | 16 | ca ce cai cao cou can cen cang ceng cong ci cu cuo cui cuan cun |
| s | 16 | sa se sai sao sou san sen sang seng song si su suo sui suan sun |
The standard list has 406 syllables, and six rare ones are added here (marked *), for 412 in total. The table leaves out a few interjection sounds such as m and ng, which are not ordinary syllables, as well as dialect-only readings.
For sound, not just spelling, practise with our free Mandarin pronunciation trainer..
Pinyin Table: Patterns Worth Noticing
The chart looks like 400 separate items, but the rows follow patterns, and seeing them cuts the memorising dramatically.
- j, q, and x only combine with i-type and ü-type finals. They never combine with a, o, or e on their own, and their u-forms (ju, qu, xu) are really ü. That is why the three rows are identical in shape.
- g, k, h, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, and s never combine with i-type or ü-type finals. The one apparent exception is the buzzing vowel written i in zhi, chi, shi, ri, zi, ci, and si, which is a different sound from the i in bi or ji.
- b, p, m, and f only combine with plain u from the u-series. You get bu, pu, mu, and fu, but not forms like bua or pui.
- Only n and l combine with ü as ü. That is where nü, nüe, lü, and lüe come from.
- Matching rows come in families. z, c, and s have almost the same set of syllables, as do zh, ch, and sh, and as do g, k, and h. Learn one row well and the others follow.
How to Read Pinyin: A Syllable in Five Steps
- Find the initial. Look for the starting consonant. If there is none, the syllable begins with a vowel or with y or w.
- Find the final. Identify the vowel part and any nasal ending.
- Apply the spelling rules. Check whether y or w stands in for i or u, whether ü is written as u after j, q, x, or y, and whether iu, ui, or un is a shortened form.
- Add the tone. Put the tone mark on the main vowel, or leave it unmarked for a neutral-tone syllable.
- Check it against audio. The chart shows spelling, not sound, so confirm the pronunciation with a native recording.
Two examples. 学 (xué): the initial is x and the final is üe, written ue after x, and with a second tone it becomes xué. 女 (nǚ): the initial is n and the final is ü, which keeps its dots after n, and with a third tone it becomes nǚ.
Practise reading and pronouncing Pinyin with real-time correction in a free 7-day trial.
Common Mistakes
- Trying to memorise the whole chart. It is a lookup tool. Learn the 21 initials and the finals, plus the four spelling rules, and the rest follows. Our complete beginner roadmap covers where Pinyin fits in your first weeks.
- Treating the chart as a pronunciation guide. It shows how syllables are spelled, not how they sound. Several letters, such as q, x, c, and z, do not sound like their English namesakes.
- Forgetting the tone. The chart lists toneless syllables. In speech, every syllable carries a tone, and learning a syllable without one means relearning it later.
- Misreading ü after j, q, x, and y. ju, qu, xu, and yu are pronounced with ü, even though the dots are not written.
- Reading the i in zhi, chi, shi, ri, zi, ci, and si as “ee.” It is a buzzing vowel, not the i in bi.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a Pinyin chart?
A table of the sounds Mandarin is built from: the initials, the finals, and the toneless syllables they form. Reading it means choosing an initial, adding a final, and then adding a tone.
How many Pinyin sounds are there?
21 initials, about three dozen finals, and about 400 toneless syllables. Counts of finals range from about 35 to 38 depending on convention. Once tones are counted there are about 1,300 syllables, according to San Duanmu’s analysis. The chart on this page lists 412 syllables, including six rare ones.
What are Pinyin initials and finals?
The initial is the starting consonant of a syllable and the final is the vowel part, sometimes with a nasal ending. In “mā,” the initial is m and the final is a. Some syllables, such as ā, have no initial.
How do I read a Pinyin chart?
Pick an initial, add a final, apply the spelling rules, and add a tone. Then check the sound against audio, because the chart shows spelling rather than pronunciation.
Is there a Pinyin alphabet?
Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet, with the letter ü added and tone marks over vowels. In standard Mandarin spelling the letter v is not used, and it often stands in for ü when typing.
Why is ü written as u after j, q, x, and y?
Only the ü-type vowel can follow those letters, so the dots are dropped without causing confusion. After n and l both vowels occur, so the dots stay: nu and nü are different syllables.
Does every syllable exist in all four tones?
No. In San Duanmu’s analysis most syllables occur in three or four tones, and a small number occur in only two or one.
What is Pinyin?
Pinyin is the official romanisation system for Standard Mandarin, writing its sounds with Latin letters and tone marks. It is used to teach pronunciation and to type Chinese. See our guide to speaking Chinese without learning characters for more.
When was Pinyin invented?
It was developed in the 1950s and officially adopted in China in 1958. It replaced earlier romanisation systems for most purposes.
Does Taiwan use Pinyin?
Taiwan teaches pronunciation with Zhuyin (Bopomofo), and Hanyu Pinyin has been the official romanisation standard there since 2009. Older romanisations remain common in names and signs.
A Chart Is a Map, Not the Journey
The chart tells you what is possible; audio and feedback tell you what it sounds like. Learn the 21 initials, the finals, and the four spelling rules, use the chart to look things up, and spend your practice time on hearing and producing the sounds.
Flexi Classes runs live 60-minute Mandarin classes with native teachers in small groups of up to five students, with real-time correction on pronunciation and tones. The 7-day free trial is a direct way to find out which of the sounds in this chart you already pronounce well and which ones need work.