Pinyin Table

This is an interactive table of pinyin, a system for learning the pronunciation of Chinese characters (hanzi), which combine three elements.

  • The "initial" is how the syllable begins,
  • The "final" is how the syllable ends,
  • The "tone" is the syllable's pitch contour.

Select a combination below.

Full pinyin syllables are not always simple combinations of the written initials and finals. This is due to the null initial ∅ that transforms into y or w depending on the vowel of the final. Importantly, this does not change the pronunciation, as Mandarin speakers do not distinguish between "ee" and "yee" although they tend to glide into these vowels.

  • yi = ∅ + i,
  • wu = ∅ + u,
  • yü = ∅ + ü.

This goes onto impact the spelling of the final, which may drop its first letter and even mutate into an alternate spelling.

  • you = ∅ + iu since iu is a contraction of iou,
  • wei = ∅ + ui since ui is a contraction of uei,
  • wen = ∅ + un since un is a contraction of uen.

There are many interesting things to learn about Chinese phonetics. My favourite resource is the Chinese Pronunciation Wiki as they strike a nice balance between pedagogy and rigour.

Sources

Posted 30/03/2023 | Last edited 25/04/2023