The Zhuyin chart
Zhuyin has 37 symbols: 21 initials, 3 medials and 13 finals. Five marks show the tone. Tap any symbol to hear it, see its stroke order and learn real words with it.
Read the map
Sounds that you make in the same part of your mouth sit next to each other. That is why the lip sounds ㄅ, ㄆ, ㄇ and ㄈ share one corner.
Colour shows what a symbol does. Teal symbols start a syllable, like ㄅ, ㄍ and ㄓ. Amber symbols end it, like ㄚ, ㄞ and ㄤ. The three symbols that mix both colours, ㄧ, ㄨ and ㄩ, sit in the middle. They can stand alone, or slide in between the other two.
Put the pieces together and you can read a syllable. ㄓ, ㄨ and ㄤ make ㄓㄨㄤ (zhuang).
Lips4 initials
Tongue tip4 initials
Back of the mouth3 initials
Palatals3 initials
Retroflex4 initials
Sibilants3 initials
Medials3 medials
Simple finals4 finals
Compound finals4 finals
Nasal finals5 finals
Zhuyin to pinyin table
All 37 symbols in the standard order, ㄅ to ㄩ. The IPA shows the sound as linguists write it. The example word uses the symbol.
| # | Zhuyin | Pinyin | IPA | Type | Example | Strokes | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ㄅ | b | /p/ | Initial | 爸 dad | 1 | 勹 |
| 2 | ㄆ | p | /pʰ/ | Initial | 跑 to run; to escape | 2 | 攵 |
| 3 | ㄇ | m | /m/ | Initial | 媽 Mom; mother | 2 | 冖 |
| 4 | ㄈ | f | /f/ | Initial | 飛 to fly; to flutter | 2 | 匚 |
| 5 | ㄉ | d | /t/ | Initial | 大 big; large | 2 | 刀 |
| 6 | ㄊ | t | /tʰ/ | Initial | 他 he; him | 3 | — |
| 7 | ㄋ | n | /n/ | Initial | 你 you (singular) | 1 | 乃 |
| 8 | ㄌ | l | /l/ | Initial | 來 to come; to arrive | 2 | 力 |
| 9 | ㄍ | g | /k/ | Initial | 高 high; tall | 2 | 巜 |
| 10 | ㄎ | k | /kʰ/ | Initial | 看 To see; to look at | 2 | 丂 |
| 11 | ㄏ | h | /x/ | Initial | 好 good; fine | 2 | 厂 |
| 12 | ㄐ | j | /tɕ/ | Initial | 家 home; family | 2 | 丩 |
| 13 | ㄑ | q | /tɕʰ/ | Initial | 去 go; leave | 1 | — |
| 14 | ㄒ | x | /ɕ/ | Initial | 謝 to thank; to decline politely | 2 | 丅 |
| 15 | ㄓ | zh | /ʈʂ/ | Initial | 珍珠 Pearl | 4 | 之 |
| 16 | ㄔ | ch | /ʈʂʰ/ | Initial | 吃 eat; have a meal | 3 | 彳 |
| 17 | ㄕ | sh | /ʂ/ | Initial | 書 book; letter | 3 | 尸 |
| 18 | ㄖ | r | /ʐ/ | Initial | 熱 hot; popular | 4 | 日 |
| 19 | ㄗ | z | /ts/ | Initial | 字 character; word | 2 | 卩 |
| 20 | ㄘ | c | /tsʰ/ | Initial | 菜 vegetable(s); greens | 2 | 七 |
| 21 | ㄙ | s | /s/ | Initial | 三 three; 3 | 2 | 厶 |
| 22 | ㄚ | a | /a/ | Final | 八 eight; all sides | 3 | 丫 |
| 23 | ㄛ | o | /o/ | Final | 喔 oh; I see | 2 | — |
| 24 | ㄜ | e | /ɤ/ | Final | 餓 hungry; starving | 2 | — |
| 25 | ㄝ | ê | /e/ | Final | 姐 Older sister | 3 | 也 |
| 26 | ㄞ | ai | /ai/ | Final | 愛 to love; to like | 3 | — |
| 27 | ㄟ | ei | /ei/ | Final | 黑 1. (Adjective) Black; dark. 2. (Adjective) Secret | 1 | 乁 |
| 28 | ㄠ | ao | /au/ | Final | 老 old; aged | 3 | 幺 |
| 29 | ㄡ | ou | /ou/ | Final | 狗 dog; canine | 2 | 又 |
| 30 | ㄢ | an | /an/ | Final | 安 safe; peaceful | 2 | — |
| 31 | ㄣ | en | /ən/ | Final | 人 person; human being | 1 | 乚 |
| 32 | ㄤ | ang | /aŋ/ | Final | 糖 sugar; candy | 3 | 尢 |
| 33 | ㄥ | eng | /əŋ/ | Final | 冷 cold; chilly | 1 | — |
| 34 | ㄦ | er | /aɚ/ | Final | 二 two; second | 2 | 儿 |
| 35 | ㄧ | i | /i/ | Medial | 一 one; a | 1 | 一 |
| 36 | ㄨ | u | /u/ | Medial | 五 five; 5 | 2 | 㐅 |
| 37 | ㄩ | ü | /y/ | Medial | 魚 fish; fish (as food) | 2 | 凵 |
The five tone marks
Mandarin has four tones and a neutral tone. In Zhuyin, the mark goes to the right of the syllable. The first tone has no mark. The neutral tone mark ˙ goes before the syllable.
| Tone | Sound | Mark | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| First tone | High and level | No mark (ˉ in charts) | 媽 ㄇㄚ |
| Second tone | Rising | ˊ | 麻 ㄇㄚˊ |
| Third tone | Low, dipping | ˇ | 馬 ㄇㄚˇ |
| Fourth tone | Falling | ˋ | 罵 ㄇㄚˋ |
| Neutral tone | Short and light | ˙ (before the syllable) | 嗎 ˙ㄇㄚ |
Learn the tone marks and tone changes
How to learn the chart
- Start with the first sounds. Learn ㄅㄆㄇㄈ and the simple finals ㄚㄛㄜ first. Then you can read ㄇㄚ, ㄅㄚ and ㄆㄛ.
- Learn in pairs. ㄅ and ㄆ differ only in a puff of air. ㄓ and ㄗ differ only in the tongue. Learn each pair together.
- Say the names. In Taiwan, each initial has a name with a vowel: ㄅ is “bo”, ㄉ is “de”, ㄓ is “zhi”.
- Review before you forget. Short, spaced reviews keep all 37 symbols fresh. Zhuyin Pro plans these for you.
Also see: every syllable in Zhuyin and pinyin, the Zhuyin keyboard and what Zhuyin is.
Learn all 37 in Zhuyin Pro.
Short lessons, a map that glows, and reviews at the right time.
Get it onGoogle Play