Learn Chinese · 01 · about 10 minutes

Pinyin & the four tones

An evening will not teach you Chinese. It can teach you to look at a phrase, read it out loud, and be understood often enough to keep trying. Last checked: 2026-11.

Reading these pages in your own language

The instructions are in English, but every Chinese line is given in characters + pinyin + a plain-English meaning. Pinyin is a pronunciation alphabet, not a translation — so the phrases work the same way whatever language you read. The home page is available in 53 languages; use the language button at the bottom right of any page.

What pinyin is for

Pinyin writes Mandarin sounds with Latin letters. It is a pronunciation map, not a replacement for characters: the same sound can be many different words. Dictionaries, signs, menus and textbooks use it, so being able to read it means you can look things up and say them out loud without guessing.

Chinese is not read letter by letter. A syllable has an initial (a consonant), a final (a vowel group) and a tone. The letters are mostly familiar; the tone is the part English speakers have to learn.

One syllable, five meanings

The classic example is ma. Say the tone wrong and you have said a different word — which is much less alarming than it sounds, because context nearly always rescues you.

mā妈 · mother1st · high and levelHold it steady and high, like singing a note.

má麻 · numb / hemp2nd · risingLike a question in English: 'what?'

mǎ马 · horse3rd · dippingDip low then come back up. In fast speech it often stays low.

mà骂 · to scold4th · fallingSharp and short, like a firm 'no!'.

ma吗 · question particleneutral · shortNo mark, no stress. It turns a sentence into a question.

Fun local detail: 麻 má is the 'numb' in Sichuan's famous málà (numbing-spicy). Hunan food, including Changsha's, is usually direct heat instead — see the chilli guide.

Where the tone mark goes

If there is an a or o, it takes the mark: hǎo, duō.
Otherwise e, then i / u / ü: xiè, nǐ.
In iu and ui, the mark goes on the second vowel: liù, huì.
Two quick sound changes: 不 bù becomes bú before a 4th tone (bú yào, 'don't want'), and 一 yī becomes yí before a 4th tone (yíxià, 'a moment'). You will see both on these pages.

Three sounds worth ten minutes

zh / ch / sh vs z / c / s — the first group curls the tongue back (zhīdào, to know), the second keeps it flat behind the teeth (zài, at/in).
j / q / x are said with a flat, smiling tongue, not like English 'j' or 'ch': qǐng (please) sounds closer to 'cheeng' with a light 'ch'.
ü is 'ee' with rounded lips. After j / q / x / y the dots are dropped, so ju, qu, xu, yu are still pronounced with rounded lips.

A realistic way to practise

Pick three phrases, not twenty.
Say each one slowly, then at normal speed. Record yourself on your phone.
Show the characters to someone and let them correct you. Most people are delighted to help, and this is a much better first conversation than a translation app.
Use one of the three out loud the same day. That is the whole exercise.

If you are staying with a host, the arrival dialogue is written for exactly this moment.

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