See a Chinese character — type its pinyin (no tone marks needed) · 60 words · 20 questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pinyin? ▼
Pinyin (拼音, pīnyīn) is the official romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It uses Latin letters plus tone marks to represent how characters are pronounced. It's the first thing beginners learn when studying Chinese.
Do I need to type tone marks in this tool? ▼
No! This tool only requires the basic letters, no tone marks needed. Type 'ni hao' or 'nihao' for 你好 — both are accepted. The correct toned pinyin is shown after you answer.
Is this tool good for complete beginners? ▼
Yes. This is specifically designed for beginners who are learning to connect Chinese characters with their spoken pronunciation. All 60 words are from the most essential everyday Mandarin vocabulary.
How is my input checked? ▼
Your input is normalized to lowercase and all spaces are removed before comparing. So 'ni hao', 'Ni Hao', and 'nihao' are all treated the same and accepted as correct.
What words does this tool include? ▼
The 60 words include greetings, pronouns, common verbs, directions, time words, places, and everyday objects — the core vocabulary any Mandarin beginner needs first.
How do I get better at pinyin? ▼
Practice daily. Focus on tricky combinations like 'x', 'zh', 'ch', 'sh', 'r' and the vowel combinations 'uo', 'üe', 'ian'. After mastering the basic letters, add tone marks practice with our Tone Trainer tool.