Complete Pinyin Chart: All Initials, Finals & Combinations (2026)
By Biz Han
Complete Pinyin Chart: All Initials, Finals & Combinations
· 10 min read
Mandarin has 21 initials, 36 finals, and roughly 400 valid syllable combinations. This page lays out the complete pinyin chart, explains how syllables are built, and walks through the spelling shortcuts that turn the system into a tool rather than a puzzle.
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How a Pinyin Syllable Is Built
Every pinyin syllable is made of two parts plus a tone:
- Initial (optional) -- the consonant sound at the start. Mandarin has 21.
- Final (always present) -- the vowel core, sometimes with a closing nasal (-n or -ng). Mandarin has 36.
- Tone (always present) -- one of 4 tones plus the neutral tone.
Multiplied out, 21 initials × 36 finals = 756 combinations, but many are phonotactically impossible (you cannot say "fia" or "qu" the way you'd expect). The actual count of valid syllables is around 400, which when multiplied by 5 tonal categories gives roughly 1,200 distinct sounds in Mandarin.
The 21 Initials in Full
Initials are grouped by place of articulation -- the part of the mouth where the consonant is formed.
| Group | Initials | Pronunciation tip |
|---|---|---|
| Labials (lips) | b, p, m, f | b = unaspirated p (no puff of air); p = aspirated; m and f as in English. |
| Alveolars (tongue tip) | d, t, n, l | d = unaspirated t; t = aspirated; n and l as in English. |
| Velars (back of tongue) | g, k, h | g = unaspirated k; k = aspirated; h is rougher than English h -- closer to Scottish "loch". |
| Palatals (mid-tongue) | j, q, x | j is like English "j" but lighter; q is like "ch" but with the tongue forward; x is like "sh" with the tongue forward. |
| Retroflexes (curled tongue) | zh, ch, sh, r | Curl the tongue tip back. zh = "j" with curled tongue; ch = aspirated zh; sh = English "sh" but with curled tongue; r is unique -- between English "r" and "zh". |
| Sibilants (flat tongue tip) | z, c, s | z = "ds" as in "kids"; c = "ts" as in "cats" with extra puff; s = English s. |
The 6 Simple Finals
| Final | Approx sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | "ah" as in father | mā |
| o | between "or" and "uo" | mō |
| e | "uh" as in the (unstressed) | gē |
| i | "ee" as in see (after most initials) | nǐ |
| u | "oo" as in food | wū |
| ü | French "tu" / German "über" -- round lips, say "ee" | nǐü |
The "i" exception. After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh, r, the letter "i" does NOT sound like "ee". It becomes a held-out buzzing version of the preceding consonant. So "zi" sounds like "dz" held, "shi" sounds like "shrr" held. This catches every beginner.
The 30 Compound Finals
Compound finals add a glide before the vowel, combine two vowels, or close with a nasal (-n or -ng).
| Type | Finals |
|---|---|
| Vowel pairs | ai, ei, ao, ou |
| i-glides | ia, ie, iao, iou (written iu after initial) |
| u-glides | ua, uo, uai, uei (written ui after initial) |
| ü-glides | üe |
| -n endings | an, en, in, uen (written un after initial), ün |
| -ng endings | ang, eng, ing, ong, iang, iong, uang, ueng |
| Retroflex final | er (only used in 二 and a few others) |
The Full Pinyin Combination Chart
This is the master chart -- which initials combine with which finals. A check mark means the combination exists; a blank means it does not. (For reasons of space we present a representative slice; the full interactive chart with audio lives on bizhan.ai/translate.)
| a | o | e | i | u | ü | ai | ei | ao | ou | an | en | ang | eng | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | ba | bo | -- | bi | bu | -- | bai | bei | bao | -- | ban | ben | bang | beng |
| p | pa | po | -- | pi | pu | -- | pai | pei | pao | pou | pan | pen | pang | peng |
| m | ma | mo | me | mi | mu | -- | mai | mei | mao | mou | man | men | mang | meng |
| f | fa | fo | -- | -- | fu | -- | -- | fei | -- | fou | fan | fen | fang | feng |
| d | da | -- | de | di | du | -- | dai | dei | dao | dou | dan | den | dang | deng |
| t | ta | -- | te | ti | tu | -- | tai | -- | tao | tou | tan | -- | tang | teng |
| n | na | -- | ne | ni | nu | nü | nai | nei | nao | nou | nan | nen | nang | neng |
| l | la | -- | le | li | lu | lü | lai | lei | lao | lou | lan | -- | lang | leng |
| g | ga | -- | ge | -- | gu | -- | gai | gei | gao | gou | gan | gen | gang | geng |
| k | ka | -- | ke | -- | ku | -- | kai | kei | kao | kou | kan | ken | kang | keng |
| h | ha | -- | he | -- | hu | -- | hai | hei | hao | hou | han | hen | hang | heng |
| j | -- | -- | -- | ji | -- | ju | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| q | -- | -- | -- | qi | -- | qu | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| x | -- | -- | -- | xi | -- | xu | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| zh | zha | -- | zhe | zhi | zhu | -- | zhai | zhei | zhao | zhou | zhan | zhen | zhang | zheng |
| ch | cha | -- | che | chi | chu | -- | chai | -- | chao | chou | chan | chen | chang | cheng |
| sh | sha | -- | she | shi | shu | -- | shai | shei | shao | shou | shan | shen | shang | sheng |
| r | -- | -- | re | ri | ru | -- | -- | -- | rao | rou | ran | ren | rang | reng |
| z | za | -- | ze | zi | zu | -- | zai | zei | zao | zou | zan | zen | zang | zeng |
| c | ca | -- | ce | ci | cu | -- | cai | -- | cao | cou | can | cen | cang | ceng |
| s | sa | -- | se | si | su | -- | sai | -- | sao | sou | san | sen | sang | seng |
Two patterns to notice. First: j, q, x only combine with finals starting in i or ü. Second: zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s never combine with finals starting in i (in the "ee" sense) or ü. These are not arbitrary -- they reflect physical limits of where the tongue can be at the same time.
Pinyin Spelling Rules
- j, q, x + u is actually jü, qü, xü. The two dots are dropped because j, q, x can never combine with plain u, so there is no ambiguity.
- iou, uei, uen contract to iu, ui, un after an initial. So liu, hui, tun are really l-iou, h-uei, t-uen. The middle vowel is still softly pronounced.
- i at the start of a syllable becomes y; u becomes w; ü becomes yu. So i-an becomes yan; u-o becomes wo; ü-e becomes yue.
- Apostrophe rule. When the second syllable in a word starts with a, o or e, insert an apostrophe to separate the syllables. "Xi'an" (西安) is two syllables; "xian" is one.
Zero-Initial Syllables (y- and w-)
Some syllables have no initial consonant. Pinyin handles this by adding a y- or w- at the start of the spelling, even though the sound itself doesn't change.
| Sound | Pinyin spelling | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i-an | yan | yán (salt) |
| i-ng | ying | yīng (eagle) |
| u-o | wo | wǒ (I) |
| u-ang | wang | wáng (king) |
| ü-e | yue | yuè (month) |
| ü-an | yuan | yuán (yuan / round) |
These y- and w- prefixes are spelling conventions only. The sounds are the same as without them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pinyin syllables are there in total?
Around 400 distinct syllables, which become roughly 1,200 when multiplied by the 5 tonal categories.
Why does "shi" not sound like "shee"?
After zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, the letter "i" is not the "ee" vowel. It becomes a buzzing extension of the preceding consonant. "Shi" is a held "shrr" sound.
Is ü really a separate vowel?
Yes. ü is a rounded front vowel that does not exist in English. It is the German ü or French u. You make it by saying "ee" while rounding your lips as if to whistle.
Why is "qu" pronounced "chü" and not "koo"?
Because after j, q, x there is no plain "u" -- so the dots over ü are dropped without ambiguity. Read "ju, qu, xu" mentally as "jü, qü, xü".
What is the apostrophe in pinyin for?
It separates syllables when the second one starts with a, o or e. Without it, "Xi'an" (西安, the city, two syllables) would be confused with "xian" (one syllable).
Are there any syllables that never carry a tone?
Yes -- particles (ma, le, ne, ba, de) and the second syllable of many two-character words (mama, gege, didi, baba) carry the neutral tone, which is short and unmarked.
Hear Every Syllable -- Free
BizHan Translate plays native-speaker audio for every pinyin syllable, with tone marks displayed. Bookmark it as your live pinyin chart.