Pinyin Chart: The Complete Table of Mandarin Initials, Finals and Syllables

A pinyin chart is a table of every syllable in Mandarin Chinese, built from initials (the consonant a syllable starts with) and finals (the vowel part that ends it). Standard pinyin has 21 initials and 35 basic finals, but only some pairs exist, which leaves 403 standard syllables before tones. The complete pinyin chart below lists every one of them, split into eight small tables that fit on a phone screen.

After the chart you will find how to read it, the spelling rules that make pinyin look strange at first (y and w, the disappearing dots on ü, and short forms like iu and ui), tips for the sounds English speakers find hardest, and how tones sit on top of each syllable.

What Is Pinyin?

Pinyin (拼音 pīnyīn, literally "spell sound") is the official way to write Mandarin pronunciation with the Latin alphabet. It was approved in China in 1958 as the Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet (汉语拼音方案 Hànyǔ Pīnyīn Fāng'àn). Children in China learn the sounds of characters with it, most modern dictionaries list words in pinyin order, and it is one of the most common ways to type Chinese.

Every pinyin syllable has up to three parts:

• an initial: the consonant at the start, such as the m in mā
• a final: everything after the initial, such as the a in mā or the ing in míng
• a tone: the pitch pattern, shown by a mark over a vowel

Some syllables have no initial at all, such as 爱 (ài, to love) and 二 (èr, two). Every syllable has a final, and every syllable has a tone, even if the light neutral tone is written without a mark.

Pinyin Initials and Finals at a Glance

The 21 initials

The initials are easiest to learn in groups, because each group is made in the same part of the mouth.

Group	Initials	Where the sound is made
Lips	b, p, m, f	Both lips (f: lower lip against the top teeth)
Tongue tip	d, t, n, l	Tongue tip on the ridge behind the top teeth
Back of the tongue	g, k, h	Back of the tongue raised toward the soft palate
Middle of the tongue	j, q, x	Middle of the tongue raised to the hard palate, tip resting behind the lower teeth
Curled tongue	zh, ch, sh, r	Tongue tip curled up toward the roof of the mouth
Flat tongue	z, c, s	Tongue flat, tip just behind the top front teeth

You will also see y and w at the start of many syllables. They are not on the official list of initials: they are spelling devices for syllables that begin with i, u or ü and have no initial. The chart shows these syllables in a row of their own, marked (none).

The 35 finals

Finals are grouped here by the letter they start with. Two of them, iou and uei, have short spellings after an initial (iu and ui), and so does uen (un).

Starts with	Count	Finals
a, o or e	12	a, o, e, ai, ei, ao, ou, an, en, ang, eng, ong
i	10	i, ia, ie, iao, iou (iu), ian, in, iang, ing, iong
u	9	u, ua, uo, uai, uei (ui), uan, uen (un), uang, ueng
ü	4	ü, üe, üan, ün

Three more finals follow special rules:

• -i after zh, ch, sh, r, z, c and s is not the "ee" sound of i. It is a buzzing continuation of the consonant, explained in the pronunciation tips below.
• er is a syllable on its own, as in 二 (èr, two). As a plain r it is also added to the end of other syllables, as in 哪儿 (nǎr, where).
• ê, an "eh" sound on its own, is used almost only in interjections and is left out of most charts, including this one.

The Complete Pinyin Chart

A full Mandarin pinyin chart has 21 initials by 35 finals, which is far too wide to read on a phone. The chart below is the same grid cut into eight tables, one for each family of finals. Together they make a complete pinyin table you can read on any screen.

How to read the tables

• Columns are finals. The header shows the final's basic form, such as iu or ü.
• Rows are initials. The (none) row shows how the final is written when the syllable has no initial, which is where y and w appear.
• A filled cell is a real syllable. A dash (–) means Mandarin has no syllable with that combination.
• Rows with no syllables are left out. If an initial is missing from a table, it never combines with those finals.
• Cells show the real spelling. In Table 8, for example, j + ü is written ju, because of the spelling rules below.
• Tones are not shown. Each syllable can carry a tone mark, as explained in the last section.

Table 1: a, o, e, -i and er

Initial	a	o	e	-i	er
b	ba	bo	–	–	–
p	pa	po	–	–	–
m	ma	mo	me	–	–
f	fa	fo	–	–	–
d	da	–	de	–	–
t	ta	–	te	–	–
n	na	–	ne	–	–
l	la	lo	le	–	–
g	ga	–	ge	–	–
k	ka	–	ke	–	–
h	ha	–	he	–	–
zh	zha	–	zhe	zhi	–
ch	cha	–	che	chi	–
sh	sha	–	she	shi	–
r	–	–	re	ri	–
z	za	–	ze	zi	–
c	ca	–	ce	ci	–
s	sa	–	se	si	–
(none)	a	o, yo	e	–	er

bo, po, mo and fo are said with a light w before the o, close to "bwo". The bare o, lo and yo turn up mainly in interjections and particles, such as 哦 (ò, oh, I see) and 哟 (yō, oh!).

Table 2: ai, ei, ao, ou

Initial	ai	ei	ao	ou
b	bai	bei	bao	–
p	pai	pei	pao	pou
m	mai	mei	mao	mou
f	–	fei	–	fou
d	dai	dei	dao	dou
t	tai	–	tao	tou
n	nai	nei	nao	–
l	lai	lei	lao	lou
g	gai	gei	gao	gou
k	kai	–	kao	kou
h	hai	hei	hao	hou
zh	zhai	–	zhao	zhou
ch	chai	–	chao	chou
sh	shai	shei	shao	shou
r	–	–	rao	rou
z	zai	zei	zao	zou
c	cai	–	cao	cou
s	sai	–	sao	sou
(none)	ai	ei	ao	ou

Two of these syllables are worth knowing early: shei is the everyday reading of 谁 (shéi, who), and dei is the reading of 得 when it means "must" (děi).

Table 3: an, en, ang, eng, ong

Initial	an	en	ang	eng	ong
b	ban	ben	bang	beng	–
p	pan	pen	pang	peng	–
m	man	men	mang	meng	–
f	fan	fen	fang	feng	–
d	dan	–	dang	deng	dong
t	tan	–	tang	teng	tong
n	nan	nen	nang	neng	nong
l	lan	–	lang	leng	long
g	gan	gen	gang	geng	gong
k	kan	ken	kang	keng	kong
h	han	hen	hang	heng	hong
zh	zhan	zhen	zhang	zheng	zhong
ch	chan	chen	chang	cheng	chong
sh	shan	shen	shang	sheng	–
r	ran	ren	rang	reng	rong
z	zan	zen	zang	zeng	zong
c	can	cen	cang	ceng	cong
s	san	sen	sang	seng	song
(none)	an	en	ang	–	–

ong never stands alone. The syllable you might expect there is written weng and belongs to the ueng final in Table 7.

Table 4: i, ia, ie, iao, iu

Initial	i	ia	ie	iao	iu
b	bi	–	bie	biao	–
p	pi	–	pie	piao	–
m	mi	–	mie	miao	miu
d	di	dia	die	diao	diu
t	ti	–	tie	tiao	–
n	ni	–	nie	niao	niu
l	li	lia	lie	liao	liu
j	ji	jia	jie	jiao	jiu
q	qi	qia	qie	qiao	qiu
x	xi	xia	xie	xiao	xiu
(none)	yi	ya	ye	yao	you

The i in this table is a real "ee" sound, unlike the -i in Table 1. lia is the sound of 俩 (liǎ, two; both), and dia is used in only a few colloquial words.

Table 5: ian, in, iang, ing, iong

Initial	ian	in	iang	ing	iong
b	bian	bin	–	bing	–
p	pian	pin	–	ping	–
m	mian	min	–	ming	–
d	dian	–	–	ding	–
t	tian	–	–	ting	–
n	nian	nin	niang	ning	–
l	lian	lin	liang	ling	–
j	jian	jin	jiang	jing	jiong
q	qian	qin	qiang	qing	qiong
x	xian	xin	xiang	xing	xiong
(none)	yan	yin	yang	ying	yong

Watch the ian column: the a here sounds like the e in "yes", so 天 (tiān, sky) sounds close to "tyen", not "tyan".

Table 6: u, ua, uo, uai, ui

Initial	u	ua	uo	uai	ui
b	bu	–	–	–	–
p	pu	–	–	–	–
m	mu	–	–	–	–
f	fu	–	–	–	–
d	du	–	duo	–	dui
t	tu	–	tuo	–	tui
n	nu	–	nuo	–	–
l	lu	–	luo	–	–
g	gu	gua	guo	guai	gui
k	ku	kua	kuo	kuai	kui
h	hu	hua	huo	huai	hui
zh	zhu	zhua	zhuo	zhuai	zhui
ch	chu	–	chuo	chuai	chui
sh	shu	shua	shuo	shuai	shui
r	ru	–	ruo	–	rui
z	zu	–	zuo	–	zui
c	cu	–	cuo	–	cui
s	su	–	suo	–	sui
(none)	wu	wa	wo	wai	wei

j, q and x are missing from this table on purpose. The u you see in ju, qu and xu is really ü, so those syllables live in Table 8.

Table 7: uan, un, uang, ueng

Initial	uan	un	uang	ueng
d	duan	dun	–	–
t	tuan	tun	–	–
n	nuan	–	–	–
l	luan	lun	–	–
g	guan	gun	guang	–
k	kuan	kun	kuang	–
h	huan	hun	huang	–
zh	zhuan	zhun	zhuang	–
ch	chuan	chun	chuang	–
sh	shuan	shun	shuang	–
r	ruan	run	–	–
z	zuan	zun	–	–
c	cuan	cun	–	–
s	suan	sun	–	–
(none)	wan	wen	wang	weng

weng, as in 翁 (wēng, old man), is the only syllable with the ueng final.

Table 8: ü, üe, üan, ün

Initial	ü	üe	üan	ün
n	nü	nüe	–	–
l	lü	lüe	–	–
j	ju	jue	juan	jun
q	qu	que	quan	qun
x	xu	xue	xuan	xun
(none)	yu	yue	yuan	yun

Every syllable in this table has the ü sound, even where the dots are not written.

Patterns worth noticing

Once you have looked through the tables, a few patterns make the whole chart easier to remember:

• j, q and x only combine with finals that start with i or ü. g, k, h, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c and s never do. The two groups never share a final, which is why j, q and x can drop the dots on ü without any confusion.
• b, p, m and f take u on its own but none of the longer u finals. There is no bua or puo.
• f is the pickiest initial, with just 9 syllables. l is the most flexible, with 26.
• Most syllables are common. We checked the chart against the 5,456 words of the HSK 1 to 6 lists used in the Learn Chinese app: 375 of the 403 syllables appear in at least one word. The other 28, such as cou (凑, to gather) and weng, are real but rare at learner level.

A few charts also show very rare syllables found in a single uncommon character, a dialect word or a sound effect. We have left those out, along with ê and the hummed interjections written m, n, ng, hm and hng, because you will not meet them in the HSK word lists.

Pinyin Spelling Rules

Pinyin is regular, but a few spelling rules hide the basic finals behind shorter or different letters. These rules come from the 1958 scheme itself.

Rule 1: y and w replace a missing initial

When a syllable starting with i, u or ü has no initial, it is written with y or w:

• i alone, in and ing add a y in front: yi, yin, ying.
• Other i finals change the i to y: ya, ye, yao, you, yan, yang, yong.
• u alone adds a w: wu.
• Other u finals change the u to w: wa, wo, wai, wei, wan, wen, wang, weng.
• ü finals add a y and drop the dots: yu, yue, yuan, yun.

Final	Written with no initial	Example
i	yi	一 yī, one
ia	ya	牙 yá, tooth
ie	ye	也 yě, also
iao	yao	要 yào, to want
iou	you	有 yǒu, to have
ian	yan	眼 yǎn, eye
in	yin	音乐 yīnyuè, music
iang	yang	太阳 tàiyáng, the sun
ing	ying	电影 diànyǐng, film
iong	yong	用 yòng, to use
u	wu	五 wǔ, five
ua	wa	袜子 wàzi, socks
uo	wo	我 wǒ, I
uai	wai	外 wài, outside
uei	wei	为 wèi, for
uan	wan	晚 wǎn, late
uen	wen	问 wèn, to ask
uang	wang	往 wǎng, toward
ueng	weng	翁 wēng, old man
ü	yu	鱼 yú, fish
üe	yue	月 yuè, month
üan	yuan	远 yuǎn, far
ün	yun	云 yún, cloud

Rule 2: ü loses its dots after j, q, x and y

Because j, q, x and y never come before a plain u, the dots on ü are left off after them: 去 (qù, to go), 学 (xué, to study), 鱼 (yú, fish). The sound is still ü, made by saying "ee" with your lips rounded as if for "oo".

After n and l, both u and ü are possible, so the dots must stay:

• 女 (nǚ, woman) vs. 努力 (nǔlì, to make an effort)
• 绿 (lǜ, green) vs. 路 (lù, road)

In most pinyin input methods ü is typed as v, so lǜ is typed lv.

Rule 3: iou, uei and uen get shorter after an initial

Three finals lose their middle vowel in writing when an initial comes first:

• iou becomes iu: 六 (liù, six), 九 (jiǔ, nine)
• uei becomes ui: 对 (duì, correct), 贵 (guì, expensive)
• uen becomes un: 春天 (chūntiān, spring), 准备 (zhǔnbèi, to prepare)

The missing vowel is still faintly there in speech. liù sounds close to "lyoh", duì close to "dway" and chūn close to "chwun". With no initial, the full forms come back: 有 (yǒu), 为 (wèi), 问 (wèn).

Rule 4: the apostrophe marks a syllable break

When a syllable starting with a, o or e follows another syllable, an apostrophe shows where one ends and the next begins. Without it, the city of 西安 (Xī'ān) would look like 先 (xiān, first). You will see it in everyday words such as 可爱 (kě'ài, cute) and 晚安 (wǎn'ān, good night).

How to Pronounce the Hard Initials

Most pinyin initials sound close to their English letters. Three groups do not, and they cause many beginners' mistakes. Practice each group with the word pairs at the end of each section, which set it against the sound it is most often confused with.

zh, ch, sh and r: the curled-tongue sounds

Curl the tip of your tongue up and back until it points at the roof of your mouth, just behind the ridge where English t is made. Keep it there as you say:

• zh is like the j in "jam", with the tongue curled back and no puff of air: 中 (zhōng, middle), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
• ch is like the ch in "chop", curled back, with a strong puff of air: 吃 (chī, to eat), 茶 (chá, tea).
• sh is like the sh in "shop", curled back: 是 (shì, to be), 书 (shū, book).
• r sounds like a blend of the English r in "rain" and the s in "vision": 人 (rén, person), 热 (rè, hot).

Pair to practice: 早 (zǎo, early) vs. 找 (zhǎo, to look for).

z, c and s: the flat-tongue sounds at the teeth

Keep your tongue flat with the tip just behind your top front teeth. Do not curl it.

• z is like the ds in "kids": 早 (zǎo, early), 在 (zài, at).
• c is like the ts in "cats", with a strong puff of air: 菜 (cài, dish), 从 (cóng, from). It is never a k or an s sound.
• s is like the s in "sun": 三 (sān, three), 送 (sòng, to give as a gift).

Pair to practice: 四 (sì, four) vs. 是 (shì, to be).

j, q and x: the smiling sounds

Rest the tip of your tongue behind your lower front teeth, raise the middle of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth, and spread your lips a little as if smiling.

• j is like the j in "jeep", said with that flat tongue: 家 (jiā, home), 九 (jiǔ, nine).
• q is like the ch in "cheese", with a strong puff of air: 去 (qù, to go), 钱 (qián, money). It never sounds like "kw".
• x falls between the s in "see" and the sh in "she": 学 (xué, to study), 小 (xiǎo, small). It never sounds like "ks".

Pairs to practice: 七 (qī, seven) vs. 吃 (chī, to eat), and 小 (xiǎo, small) vs. 少 (shǎo, few).

The -i after zh, ch, sh, r, z, c and s

In zhi, chi, shi and ri, do not say "ee". Hold the curled-tongue consonant and let your voice buzz through it, a little like the "ir" in American "shirt" with no clear vowel: 知道 (zhīdào, to know), 吃 (chī), 是 (shì), 日 (rì, day).

In zi, ci and si, the buzz is made at the teeth, like holding the "zz" in "buzz": 字 (zì, character), 次 (cì, time), 四 (sì, four).

Puff of air, not voice

Mandarin pairs b/p, d/t, g/k, z/c, zh/ch and j/q differ by a puff of air, not by voice. Hold a hand in front of your mouth: p, t, k, c, ch and q should push air against it, while b, d, g, z, zh and j should not. Mandarin b is closer to the p in "spin" than to the b in "bin".

How Tones Sit on Top of Syllables

The chart shows syllables without tones, but in real Chinese every syllable is said with one. The tone changes the meaning: mā (妈, mother), má (麻, numb), mǎ (马, horse) and mà (骂, to scold) are four different words.

Pinyin shows the four tones with marks that picture the pitch:

Tone	Mark	Pitch	Example
1st	ā	High and level	八 bā, eight
2nd	á	Rising	十 shí, ten
3rd	ǎ	Low, dipping	五 wǔ, five
4th	à	Falling	四 sì, four
Neutral	a (no mark)	Short and light	the second ma in 妈妈 (māma, mom)

Where the tone mark goes

• If the syllable has an a or an e, the mark goes there: 好 (hǎo, good), 谢谢 (xièxie, thanks), 给 (gěi, to give).
• In ou, the mark goes on the o: 走 (zǒu, to walk).
• Otherwise, the mark goes on the last vowel: 对 (duì), 六 (liù), 水 (shuǐ, water).
• On an i, the mark replaces the dot: 你 (nǐ, you). On ü, the mark sits above the dots: 绿 (lǜ).

Not every syllable has all four tones

Most syllables in the chart can take several tones, but some only appear with one or two. The syllable gei, for example, is only used as gěi (给, to give), and nin only as nín (您, you, polite). The 2021 standard behind the new HSK lists 1,110 syllables with tones for all nine levels, with 908 of them introduced by Level 6. Our guide to HSK 3.0 vs HSK 2.0 shows how many each level adds.

Tones change in connected speech

Charts show each syllable's basic tone, but a few tones change when words are said together. Two third tones in a row turn the first into a second tone, so 你好 (nǐ hǎo) is said ní hǎo. 不 (bù, not) becomes bú before a fourth tone, as in 不是 (bú shì, is not), and 一 (yī, one) changes too, as in 一起 (yìqǐ, together). Many textbooks write the changed tones for 一 and 不.

To learn to hear and say each tone, read our guide to the four Mandarin tones, which covers pitch shapes and minimal pair drills.

Common Pinyin Mistakes

• Reading pinyin as English. q is not "kw", x is not "ks", c is not "k" and zh is not "z". The hidden ü in ju, qu, xu and yu and the buzzing -i in shi and si catch out almost every beginner.
• Mixing up -n and -ng. 新 (xīn, new) and 星 (xīng, star) are different syllables. For -ng, raise the back of your tongue and let the sound finish in your nose.
• Learning words without their tones. A syllable without its tone is half a word, so learn every new word with its tone and say it aloud.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many syllables are there in the pinyin chart?

The complete pinyin chart in this guide lists 403 standard Mandarin syllables before tones. Not every syllable takes every tone, so the number with tones is not simply four times higher. The 2021 standard behind the new HSK lists 1,110 syllables with tones across all nine levels.

How many pinyin initials and finals are there?

The official 1958 pinyin scheme lists 21 initials and 35 finals. It also describes three special finals: the -i heard after zh, ch, sh, r, z, c and s, the final er, and ê. The letters y and w are spelling devices for syllables that have no initial, not extra initials.

Why is ü written as u in ju, qu, xu and yu?

j, q, x and y are never followed by a plain u sound, so the two dots are not needed and are left out. After n and l both sounds exist, so the dots stay: nǚ (女, woman) and nǔ (努, as in 努力 nǔlì) are different syllables.

Where do the tone marks go in pinyin?

The mark goes on a or e if the syllable has one. In ou it goes on the o. Otherwise it goes on the last vowel, as in duì (对) and liù (六). Syllables in the neutral tone have no mark.

Do I need to memorize the whole pinyin chart?

No. Learn the 21 initials, the finals and a handful of spelling rules, and you can read any syllable in the chart. Of the 403 syllables, 375 appear in the 5,456 words of the HSK 1 to 6 lists, so the rest are rare at learner level.

Is pinyin enough to learn Chinese?

Pinyin is a tool for pronunciation, dictionaries and typing, but written Chinese uses characters. Use pinyin heavily while you learn the sounds and your first words, then rely on it less as you learn to read characters directly.

What's Next

With the sounds in place, the next step is your first words and characters. Start with the HSK 1 beginner guide and the HSK 1 vocabulary list, practice your tones with the four Mandarin tones guide, and see how characters are built in our Chinese radicals list.

Learn Chinese is free to download on iOS and Android, with no account and no ads, and HSK 1 and 2 are free in full. Start with Unit 0, "Pinyin & the 4 tones", then open the pinyin chart, where every syllable can be played, and test your ear with the tone trainer. The app guide shows how each feature works.