4 guides

Pinyin & tones: Guides for Learners of Chinese

Pinyin spelling, the four tones and the neutral tone, and how tones change in speech.

  1. Pinyin Initials and Finals: How Each Sound Is Said, with AudioHow the 21 pinyin initials and the finals sound, which ones English speakers mix up, and the spelling rules for y, w and ü. Every example has female and male audio. Beginner
  2. Mandarin 4 Tones: How to Say Each Tone, with AudioMandarin has four tones plus a light neutral tone. How each one sounds, a pitch chart, common mistakes, tone marks, and 20 tone pairs to practise, with female and male audio for every example. Beginner
  3. Mandarin Tone Changes — Third Tone Sandhi, 一 and 不The tone change rules every learner needs — two third tones in a row, the tone of 一 (yī) and the tone of 不 (bù) — with examples. Beginner
  4. How to Type Pinyin with Tone Marks or Tone NumbersThree ways to write pinyin — tone marks (nǐ hǎo), tone numbers (ni3 hao3) and no tones (nihao) — how to type ü, and how to search ChineseDict with each. Beginner

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