ChinesePathThe Pinyin Chart: All 21 Initials, All Finals, and the Spelling Rules
Mandarin's entire sound system fits on one page: 21 initials (the consonants that can start a syllable), 39 finals (the vowel cores, some ending in -n or -ng), and 4 tones. Initials and finals combine into only about 400 syllable forms — with tones, roughly 1,300 syllables that actually occur — and that is every sound the language will ever ask of you. This page is the reference map: all the pieces, grouped the way they are pronounced, plus the handful of spelling rules that make written pinyin look trickier than it is.
The 21 initials
Initials are best learned in their articulation groups — each row below is made at one place in the mouth:
| Group | Initials | Where they are made | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| lips | b p m f | both lips (f: lip + teeth) | b/p differ only in the puff of air (p is aspirated) |
| tongue tip | d t n l | tongue tip at the upper gum | d/t: same aspiration contrast |
| tongue root | g k h | back of the tongue | g/k: same contrast; h is rougher than English h |
| tongue surface | j q x | front of the tongue surface, near the palate | combine only with i/ü — see zh ch sh vs j q x |
| retroflex | zh ch sh r | tongue tip curled up to the hard palate | see z c s vs zh ch sh and the Chinese r |
| flat-tongue | z c s | tongue tip at the upper teeth | the mirror group of zh ch sh |
The recurring pattern: pairs like b/p, d/t, g/k, j/q, zh/ch, z/c are identical except for aspiration — the second of each pair releases a strong burst of air. Feel it with your palm in front of your mouth.
The finals
| Group | Finals | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| simple | a o e i u ü, er | mā 妈, wǒ 我, gē 哥, nǐ 你, bù 不, nǚ 女, èr 二 |
| a/o/e + glide | ai ei ao ou | ài 爱, hēi 黑, hǎo 好, gǒu 狗 |
| i/u/ü + vowel | ia ie ua uo üe, iao iou(iu) uai uei(ui) | jiā 家, xiè 谢, huā 花, duō 多, yuè 月, xiǎo 小, liù 六, kuài 快, duì 对 |
| front nasals (-n) | an en in un(uen) ün, uan ian üan | sān 三, hěn 很, xīn 新, chūn 春, yún 云, wān 弯, tiān 天, yuǎn 远 |
| back nasals (-ng) | ang eng ing ong, uang ueng iang iong | máng 忙, děng 等, míng 明, dōng 东, huáng 黄, wēng 翁, xiǎng 想, yòng 用 |
The ü column and the two nasal rows are where learners struggle; each has its own guide: the ü vowel and -n vs -ng finals.
How syllables are built
syllable = initial + final + tone. Any syllable can be decomposed at a glance:
- zhuàng 壮 = zh + uang + 4th tone
- qún 裙 = q + ün + 2nd tone (the u is really ü — dots removed, rule below)
- yuǎn 远 = no real initial: the y rewrites a ü-final standing alone
The final and the tone are obligatory; the initial is optional (zero-initial syllables like ān 安, yī 衣, wǔ 五).
The spelling rules, all in one place
These rules change how syllables are written, never how they sound:
| Rule | What happens | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| y/w rewrite | i-, u-, ü-finals standing alone take y/w as a stand-in initial | yī 衣, wū 乌, yuǎn 远 |
| ü drops its dots | after j, q, x, y the u is always ü | jù 句, qù 去, xǔ 许, yǔ 语 — but nǚ 女, lǜ 绿 keep the dots |
| iou → iu | with an initial, iou is written iu | liù 六 = l+iou; alone it is you 有 |
| uei → ui | with an initial, uei is written ui | shuǐ 水 = sh+uei; alone it is wei 位 |
| uen → un | with an initial, uen is written un | chūn 春 = ch+uen; alone it is wen 文 |
| apostrophe | a-, o-, e-syllables after another syllable take ' | xī'ān 西安 (vs the one syllable xiān 先) |
| keyboard v | ü is typed as v in input methods | nv → 女, lv → 绿 |
Everything above is orthography — once you know that yu-, ju-, qu-, xu- always contain ü and that iu/ui/un are contractions, written pinyin becomes fully phonetic: it always tells you exactly what to say.
The payoff
Four hundred syllable forms is a small, closed world. Work through the initials group by group, the finals row by row, tones in contrast sets — and from then on every "new" word in Chinese is only a new combination of sounds you already own.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many initials and finals does pinyin have?
21 initials and 39 finals, combining into about 400 syllable forms — roughly 1,300 distinct syllables with tones counted. That is the complete sound inventory of Mandarin.
Why is u sometimes really ü?
After j, q, x and y, written u is always the front rounded vowel ü with its dots removed (jù, qù, xū, yǔ) — those initials never combine with true u, so no ambiguity arises. After n and l, both vowels occur, so the dots must stay: nǔ 努 vs nǚ 女, lù 路 vs lǜ 绿.
What are iu, ui and un short for?
Contractions used when an initial is present: iu = iou (liù is l+iou), ui = uei (duì is d+uei), un = uen (chūn is ch+uen). The full forms surface in the zero-initial spellings you, wei, wen.
What is the apostrophe in pinyin (as in Xi'an)?
A syllable divider: when a syllable starting with a, o or e follows another syllable, ' marks the boundary — xī'ān 西安 is two syllables, while xiān 先 is one. It prevents misreading, nothing more.
Are there sounds in the chart that English doesn't have?
Yes — the famous ones are ü (lips of u, tongue of i), the j/q/x group, and the retroflex zh/ch/sh/r series. Each has a dedicated guide; the rest of the inventory maps closely onto sounds English speakers already make.
Try the first unit free