The building blocks of Mandarin
Chinese Pinyin
Pinyin is how Chinese is written in the Roman alphabet. Master the initials, finals, and four tones below, and you can read and pronounce any word — even before you know the characters.
The four tones
Mandarin is a tonal language: the pitch contour changes the meaning. There are four tones plus a neutral tone. Tap through them, then see how they work in detail.
High and level, like singing a steady note.
mā 妈 · mom
Rising, like asking a surprised question.
má 麻 · hemp; numb
Falls then rises, like a doubtful 'well...'.
mǎ 马 · horse
Falls sharply, like a firm 'No!'.
mà 骂 · to scold
Light and short, no tone mark.
ma 吗 · question particle
Initials (声母)
23 initials — the consonant sounds that start a syllable.
Finals (韵母)
36 finals — the vowel sounds and nasal endings that complete a syllable.
Audio for every syllable is available inside the Hanlyny app, where each one can be scored syllable by syllable.
Hear it, then score it
Open any syllable in Hanlyny and get instant feedback on your initials, finals, and tones.