Learn Zhuyin with audio, tones, Pinyin mapping, real Mandarin words, and focused pronunciation drills.
Follow ten short lessons, hear each syllable, then test yourself with focused quizzes that keep Pinyin available as a hint.
ㄇㄚ
mā
ㄒㄩㄝˊ
xué
ㄓㄨㄥ
zhōng
Zhuyin, also called Bopomofo, writes Mandarin sounds with dedicated phonetic symbols. It keeps pronunciation separate from English spelling: initials start the syllable, finals complete it, and tones show the pitch shape.
Think of each Mandarin syllable as a small recipe: optional initial, required final, and one tone. Reading gets easier when you hear all three parts together.
Mandarin tones are part of the word. Practice the shape first, then listen for it in real vocabulary.
1st
ㄇㄚ
mā
High and level. Keep it steady rather than rising.
2nd
ㄇㄚˊ
má
Rising. It often feels like a short surprised “huh?”
3rd
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ
Low and dipping. In real speech it is often low before rising.
4th
ㄇㄚˋ
mà
Falling. Start firm and drop quickly.
Neutral
ㄇㄚ˙
ma
Short and light. It is best practiced in real words like 妈妈, not as fake isolated syllables.
Start with lesson chunks, then use initials, finals, or search when you want the full chart.
ㄚ
ā
ㄚˊ
á
ㄚˇ
ǎ
ㄚˋ
à
ㄚ˙
a
ㄛ
ō
ㄜ
ē
ㄧ
yī
ㄨ
wū
ㄩ
yū
ㄇㄚ
mā
ㄇㄚˊ
má
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ
ㄇㄚˋ
mà
Each lesson introduces a compact sound set, gives you study cards, then offers an 8-12 question quiz.
Hear the four main tones, the neutral tone in real words, and the core vowel sounds.
ㄚ
ā
ㄚˊ
á
ㄚˇ
ǎ
ㄚˋ
à
ㄚ˙
a
ㄛ
ō
ㄜ
ē
ㄧ
yī
ㄨ
wū
ㄩ
yū
ㄇㄚ
mā
ㄇㄚˊ
má
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ
ㄇㄚˋ
mà
妈妈
ㄇㄚ ㄇㄚ˙
mā ma · mom
爸爸
ㄅㄚˋ ㄅㄚ˙
bà ba · dad
吗
ㄇㄚ˙
ma · question particle
马
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ · horse
一
ㄧ
yī · one
二
ㄦˋ
èr · two
五
ㄨˇ
wǔ · five
米饭
ㄇㄧˇ ㄈㄢˋ
mǐ fàn · cooked rice
Start combining lips-forward initials with a, o, e, ai, ei, an, en, and ou.
ㄅㄚ
bā
ㄅㄚˋ
bà
ㄆㄚˊ
pá
ㄆㄚˋ
pà
ㄇㄚ
mā
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ
ㄈㄚ
fā
ㄈㄟ
fēi
ㄈㄣ
fēn
ㄇㄣˊ
mén
ㄆㄥˊ
péng
ㄈㄢˋ
fàn
ㄆㄧㄠˋ
piào
八
ㄅㄚ
bā · eight
不
ㄅㄨˋ
bù · not; no
朋友
ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡ˙
péng you · friend
米饭
ㄇㄧˇ ㄈㄢˋ
mǐ fàn · cooked rice
分
ㄈㄣ
fēn · minute; point
飞
ㄈㄟ
fēi · to fly
门
ㄇㄣˊ
mén · door
票
ㄆㄧㄠˋ
piào · ticket
Practice tongue-tip initials and common beginner words built from them.
ㄉㄚˋ
dà
ㄉㄜˊ
dé
ㄊㄚ
tā
ㄊㄞˋ
tài
ㄋㄧˇ
nǐ
ㄌㄞˊ
lái
ㄌㄠˇ
lǎo
ㄌㄧㄡˋ
liù
ㄉㄡ
dōu
ㄋㄨˇ
nǔ
ㄌㄩˇ
lǚ
你
ㄋㄧˇ
nǐ · you
他
ㄊㄚ
tā · he; him
她
ㄊㄚ
tā · she; her
来
ㄌㄞˊ
lái · to come
老师
ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ
lǎo shī · teacher
太
ㄊㄞˋ
tài · too; very
都
ㄉㄡ
dōu · all; both
买
ㄇㄞˇ
mǎi · to buy
卖
ㄇㄞˋ
mài · to sell
Build a clear contrast between back-of-mouth initials and nasal finals.
ㄍㄜ
gē
ㄍㄠ
gāo
ㄎㄜˇ
kě
ㄎㄢˋ
kàn
ㄏㄣˇ
hěn
ㄏㄠˇ
hǎo
ㄍㄨㄛˊ
guó
ㄍㄨㄥ
gōng
ㄏㄜ
hē
ㄏㄤˊ
háng
ㄎㄥ
kēng
高
ㄍㄠ
gāo · tall; high
哥哥
ㄍㄜ ㄍㄜ˙
gē ge · older brother
可以
ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ
kě yǐ · can; may
很
ㄏㄣˇ
hěn · very
好
ㄏㄠˇ
hǎo · good
国家
ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄐㄧㄚ
guó jiā · country
工作
ㄍㄨㄥ ㄗㄨㄛˋ
gōng zuò · work; job
喝
ㄏㄜ
hē · to drink
天
ㄊㄧㄢ
tiān · day; sky
文
ㄨㄣˊ
wén · writing; language
Focus on the high front sounds that make j, q, and x feel different from English.
ㄐㄧ
jī
ㄐㄧㄚ
jiā
ㄐㄧㄢˋ
jiàn
ㄐㄧㄠˋ
jiào
ㄑㄧㄥˇ
qǐng
ㄑㄩˋ
qù
ㄒㄩㄝˊ
xué
ㄒㄧㄝˋ
xiè
ㄒㄧㄠˇ
xiǎo
ㄒㄧˇ
xǐ
ㄩㄢˇ
yuǎn
ㄩㄣˊ
yún
ㄩㄝˋ
yuè
学
ㄒㄩㄝˊ
xué · to study; to learn
去
ㄑㄩˋ
qù · to go
家
ㄐㄧㄚ
jiā · home; family
钱
ㄑㄧㄢˊ
qián · money
小
ㄒㄧㄠˇ
xiǎo · small
谢谢
ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝ˙
xiè xie · thank you
叫
ㄐㄧㄠˋ
jiào · to be called; to call
喜欢
ㄒㄧˇ ㄏㄨㄢ˙
xǐ huan · to like
今天
ㄐㄧㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ
jīn tiān · today
请
ㄑㄧㄥˇ
qǐng · please; to invite
七
ㄑㄧ
qī · seven
九
ㄐㄧㄡˇ
jiǔ · nine
Separate the flat z, c, and s series with short, focused listening drills.
ㄗˋ
zì
ㄘˊ
cí
ㄙˋ
sì
ㄗㄞˋ
zài
ㄘㄞˋ
cài
ㄙㄢ
sān
ㄗㄠˇ
zǎo
ㄗㄨㄛˋ
zuò
ㄗㄡˇ
zǒu
在
ㄗㄞˋ
zài · at; in; to exist
再
ㄗㄞˋ
zài · again
菜
ㄘㄞˋ
cài · vegetable; dish
三
ㄙㄢ
sān · three
四
ㄙˋ
sì · four
词
ㄘˊ
cí · word
早
ㄗㄠˇ
zǎo · early
坐
ㄗㄨㄛˋ
zuò · to sit
走
ㄗㄡˇ
zǒu · to walk
字
ㄗˋ
zì · character; written word
Train the curled-tongue series without mixing it into z, c, and s.
ㄓ
zhī
ㄔ
chī
ㄕˋ
shì
ㄖㄣˊ
rén
ㄖㄜˋ
rè
ㄓㄜˋ
zhè
ㄔㄜ
chē
ㄕㄢ
shān
ㄕㄤˋ
shàng
ㄓㄨㄥ
zhōng
ㄕㄨ
shū
是
ㄕˋ
shì · to be
人
ㄖㄣˊ
rén · person
吃
ㄔ
chī · to eat
书
ㄕㄨ
shū · book
热
ㄖㄜˋ
rè · hot
这
ㄓㄜˋ
zhè · this
车
ㄔㄜ
chē · car
山
ㄕㄢ
shān · mountain
上
ㄕㄤˋ
shàng · up; above
中文
ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ
zhōng wén · Chinese language
汉字
ㄏㄢˋ ㄗˋ
hàn zì · Chinese characters
Hear the difference between an/ang, en/eng, and in/ing in real words.
ㄢ
ān
ㄤ
āng
ㄣ
ēn
ㄥ
ēng
ㄧㄣ
yīn
ㄧㄥ
yīng
ㄏㄢˋ
hàn
ㄊㄧㄢ
tiān
ㄇㄧㄥˊ
míng
ㄆㄥˊ
péng
ㄕㄥ
shēng
ㄒㄧㄤˇ
xiǎng
ㄑㄧㄥˇ
qǐng
水
ㄕㄨㄟˇ
shuǐ · water
想
ㄒㄧㄤˇ
xiǎng · to think; to want
听
ㄊㄧㄥ
tīng · to listen
名字
ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄗ˙
míng zi · name
明天
ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄊㄧㄢ
míng tiān · tomorrow
学生
ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄕㄥ˙
xué sheng · student
汉语
ㄏㄢˋ ㄩˇ
hàn yǔ · Mandarin Chinese
去年
ㄑㄩˋ ㄋㄧㄢˊ
qù nián · last year
云
ㄩㄣˊ
yún · cloud
女儿
ㄋㄩˇ ㄦˊ
nǚ ér · daughter
银行
ㄧㄣˊ ㄏㄤˊ
yín háng · bank
Compare near-neighbor tones in syllables and useful everyday words.
ㄇㄚ
mā
ㄇㄚˊ
má
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ
ㄇㄚˋ
mà
ㄇㄞˇ
mǎi
ㄇㄞˋ
mài
ㄑㄧㄥˊ
qíng
ㄑㄧㄥˇ
qǐng
ㄒㄩㄝˊ
xué
ㄇㄟˇ
měi
ㄩㄢˇ
yuǎn
ㄩㄝˋ
yuè
买
ㄇㄞˇ
mǎi · to buy
卖
ㄇㄞˋ
mài · to sell
马
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ · horse
吗
ㄇㄚ˙
ma · question particle
月
ㄩㄝˋ
yuè · moon; month
远
ㄩㄢˇ
yuǎn · far
美国
ㄇㄟˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ
měi guó · United States
什么
ㄕㄣˊ ㄇㄜ˙
shén me · what
哪里
ㄋㄚˇ ㄌㄧˇ
nǎ lǐ · where
谁
ㄕㄟˊ
shéi · who
Bring initials, finals, tones, and real-word listening together in short sessions.
ㄗㄞˋ
zài
ㄐㄧㄢˋ
jiàn
ㄒㄩㄝˊ
xué
ㄒㄧㄠˋ
xiào
ㄍㄨㄥ
gōng
ㄗㄨㄛˋ
zuò
ㄏㄢˋ
hàn
ㄗˋ
zì
ㄓㄨㄥ
zhōng
ㄨㄣˊ
wén
ㄈㄢˋ
fàn
ㄉㄧㄢˋ
diàn
再见
ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
zài jiàn · goodbye
学校
ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄒㄧㄠˋ
xué xiào · school
学习
ㄒㄩㄝˊ ㄒㄧˊ
xué xí · to study
国家
ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄐㄧㄚ
guó jiā · country
美国
ㄇㄟˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ
měi guó · United States
汉字
ㄏㄢˋ ㄗˋ
hàn zì · Chinese characters
中文
ㄓㄨㄥ ㄨㄣˊ
zhōng wén · Chinese language
工作
ㄍㄨㄥ ㄗㄨㄛˋ
gōng zuò · work; job
饭店
ㄈㄢˋ ㄉㄧㄢˋ
fàn diàn · restaurant; hotel
电脑
ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄋㄠˇ
diàn nǎo · computer
苹果
ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄍㄨㄛˇ
píng guǒ · apple
天气
ㄊㄧㄢ ㄑㄧˋ
tiān qì · weather
Practice actual Mandarin words with meaning shown. The quizzes focus on hearing and reading pronunciation, not guessing bare characters.
妈妈
ㄇㄚ ㄇㄚ˙
mā ma · mom
爸爸
ㄅㄚˋ ㄅㄚ˙
bà ba · dad
吗
ㄇㄚ˙
ma · question particle
马
ㄇㄚˇ
mǎ · horse
一
ㄧ
yī · one
二
ㄦˋ
èr · two
五
ㄨˇ
wǔ · five
米饭
ㄇㄧˇ ㄈㄢˋ
mǐ fàn · cooked rice
八
ㄅㄚ
bā · eight
不
ㄅㄨˋ
bù · not; no
朋友
ㄆㄥˊ ㄧㄡ˙
péng you · friend
分
ㄈㄣ
fēn · minute; point
飞
ㄈㄟ
fēi · to fly
门
ㄇㄣˊ
mén · door
票
ㄆㄧㄠˋ
piào · ticket
你
ㄋㄧˇ
nǐ · you
他
ㄊㄚ
tā · he; him
她
ㄊㄚ
tā · she; her
Short drills for sound pairs and groups that learners commonly mix up.
High front sounds that often collapse into one fuzzy “ch/sh” area.
Retroflex sounds that need a distinct tongue position.
Flat tongue-tip sounds, especially tricky next to zh/ch/sh.
Front nasal versus back nasal endings.
Shorter front nasal versus fuller back nasal endings.
Rounded back u versus front rounded ü, especially after j/q/x.
Rising tone versus low dipping tone in short listening rounds.
Audio is from hugolpz/audio-cmn under CC BY-SA. Syllables are credited to Chen Wang; HSK word audio to Yue Tan / SWAC Recorder; curation, compression, and file naming to Hugo Lopez; recording software and technical support to Nicolas Vion.
Miaozi bundles the 64k syllable set and only the selected word audio used by this trainer.