Rule 1: Where the Tone Mark Goes
Pinyin puts one mark per syllable, and when a syllable has two or three vowels there is exactly one correct place for it. Three steps, in order:
The tone-mark rule
- Is there an a? Mark the a. — hǎo, xiāng, guài
- No a — is there an o or e? Mark that one. — duō, xiè, gǒu
- Neither — mark the last vowel. — jiù, huì, shuǐ
That third step is where nearly all mistakes happen. In iu the mark lands on the u (jiù, liù, niú), and in ui it lands on the i (huì, guì, shuǐ). Writing jìu or hùi is the single most common pinyin typo among learners, and it is also a clue about what is really going on — see the next rule.
A fifth, unmarked neutral tone exists too: the second syllable of 妈妈 (māma) or the question particle 吗 (ma). It has no mark and no fixed pitch — it takes its height from whatever came before.
Rule 2: The Spellings That Hide a Vowel
Three finals get contracted whenever an initial is attached to them. The missing vowel is still pronounced, faintly, which is why these syllables never sound quite like they look.
| Written | Really is | Example | Alone (no initial) |
|---|---|---|---|
| -iu | iou | liù 六 (six) — a hint of o in the middle | you |
| -ui | uei | huì 会 (can) — a hint of e in the middle | wei |
| -un | uen | chūn 春 (spring) | wen |
And the umlaut, which appears and disappears by rule:
| After | Written | Pronounced | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| j q x y | ju, qu, xu, yu | jü, qü, xü, yü | These initials can only take ü, so the dots are redundant |
| n l | nü, lü (dots kept!) | nü, lü | Both are possible: 努 nǔ and 女 nǚ are different words |
This is why 去 is written qù but rhymes with 女 nǚ, not with 路 lù. If you type pinyin with a keyboard, v is the standard stand-in for ü: type nv to get nü.
Rule 3: Tones That Change When You Speak
Pinyin spelling records the dictionary tone. Real speech changes some of them, and the writing never updates. These three rules cover almost all of it.
| Rule | Written | Actually said |
|---|---|---|
| 3 + 3 → 2 + 3 | nǐ hǎo 你好 | ní hǎo |
| Three third tones | wǒ hěn hǎo 我很好 | wó hén hǎo |
| Half-third before other tones | hǎo chī 好吃 | the dip does not rise back up |
| 不 before 4th tone | bù shì 不是 | bú shì |
| 一 before 1st/2nd/3rd | yī tiān 一天 | yì tiān |
| 一 before 4th tone | yī gè 一个 | yí gè |
| 一 counting or final | yī, èr, sān | yī — unchanged |
不 and 一 are the only two characters in Mandarin with their own personal tone rules. Some textbooks print them already changed (bú shì), others print the dictionary tone (bù shì) — both conventions exist, so do not be thrown when sources disagree. The deeper version of all this is in our tone change rules guide.
The Full Pinyin Chart
Mandarin syllables are built from an initial (the opening consonant, optional) plus a final (the vowel core and any ending). There are 21 initials and around 37 finals, and only about 400 of the possible combinations actually occur — which, multiplied by four tones, is the entire sound inventory of the language.
| Group | Initials | The one that catches learners |
|---|---|---|
| Lips | b p m f | b and p are unaspirated/aspirated, not voiced/voiceless — b sounds closer to English p in spin |
| Tongue tip | d t n l | Same aspiration contrast as above |
| Back | g k h | h is rougher than English h, closer to Scottish loch |
| Palatal | j q x | q is not a k sound. It is a sharp ch with the tongue against the lower teeth |
| Retroflex | zh ch sh r | Tongue curled back. r is halfway between English r and the s in measure |
| Sibilant | z c s | c is ts, as in cats — never a k sound |
| Final group | Members |
|---|---|
| Simple | a · o · e · i · u · ü |
| Compound | ai · ei · ao · ou · ia · ie · ua · uo · üe · iao · iou(-iu) · uai · uei(-ui) |
| With -n | an · en · in · un · ün · ian · uan · üan · uen(-un) |
| With -ng | ang · eng · ing · ong · iang · iong · uang · ueng |
| Special | er · -i after zh/ch/sh/r/z/c/s (a buzz, not an ee sound) |
That last one matters: the i in shi, zhi, ci and si is not the i of ni. It is a held buzz of the same consonant. Saying 是 as shee is one of the most recognisable foreign-accent markers in Mandarin. Full detail in the pinyin pronunciation guide.
Pinyin is the map. Hanzijo is the territory.
Getting the marks right on paper is step one; hearing and producing the tones is the real work. Hanzijo teaches every HSK word with native audio and colour-coded tones, an exclusive mnemonic for every character and every word, an SRS engine that reviews you right before you would forget, plus conversation lessons, shadowing, HSK reading and listening practice and full mock exams across HSK 1–9. There is also an OCR scanner for reading real menus and signs, and lock screen and home screen widgets so characters reach you between sessions.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeFrequently asked questions
Where does the tone mark go in pinyin?
If the syllable has an a, mark the a. If not, and it has o or e, mark that. Otherwise mark the last vowel. So it is jiù, not jìu, and huì, not hùi.
Do I really need to learn pinyin, or can I skip to characters?
You need it. Pinyin is how you type Chinese, how dictionaries are ordered, and how every textbook records pronunciation. Skipping it means guessing at sounds from characters, which carry almost no phonetic information for a beginner.
How long does pinyin take to learn?
Reading it accurately: a few days. Producing the sounds correctly, especially the j/q/x versus zh/ch/sh distinction and the third tone, takes weeks of listening and repetition. The chart is the easy part.
Should I use tone numbers or tone marks?
Marks, once you can place them. Numbers (ni3 hao3) are fine for typing quickly, but marks are what you will meet in every textbook and dictionary, and reading them trains the tone as part of the word rather than as an afterthought.
Is pinyin used in China?
Yes, everywhere: children learn it before characters, phone keyboards run on it, and it appears on street signs and in dictionaries. What it is not is a writing system adults read for content — that is always characters.