Mandarin Pinyin chart

Pinyin is how Mandarin sounds are written with the Latin alphabet. Tap any row to hear the sound spoken in a real word — with characters, meaning, and a hint in plain English.

Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral one. The same syllable ma means mother, hemp, horse, or scold depending on the pitch.

Tones — 5 sounds

• 1st tone (ā)妈 · mā — motherHigh and flat, like holding a note.
• 2nd tone (á)麻 · má — hempRising, like asking "huh?"
• 3rd tone (ǎ)马 · mǎ — horseDips down, then comes back up.
• 4th tone (à)骂 · mà — to scoldSharp fall, like a firm "no!"
• Neutral tone (a)吗 · ma — question particleShort, light, unstressed.