How pinyin, tones and characters work

Three clues for one word

The character shows the written word; pinyin guides pronunciation; the translation gives meaning. Pinyin letters do not always sound like English letters. Begin with the model syllable ma, then learn new sounds gradually.

Four tones and a neutral tone

mā: high and level. má: rising. mǎ: low, with a rise when spoken carefully alone; in connected speech it often stays low. mà: falling. ma: light and short, with pitch influenced by the previous syllable. Tone changes can change meaning. The isolated question particle 吗 is best learned later in a whole sentence.

Recognize before writing

Learn 我 wǒ (I), 你 nǐ (you), and 好 hǎo (good). Cover the meanings and recall each one. This first step is recognition; it does not teach stroke order or handwriting.

Examples to read and repeat

Background sources

• Mandarin pinyin and character study materials — MIT OpenCourseWare