Connect a spoken word with its pinyin, one syllable at a time.
About 10–15 minutes for the core practice · Split into two short sessions if helpful · English-guided · All ages
Listen → Learn & blend → Choose → Record & compare → Use it
Listen & notice · Learn & blend
A sound map, not an English spelling
Pinyin uses familiar letters with Mandarin sound values. Listen before guessing from English. You do not need to recognise the Chinese characters yet.
Build one syllable
In bā, b is the initial, a is the final, and the flat mark shows tone 1. Some syllables have no initial. Words can contain more than one syllable.
Hear the whole word
Say bà ba as two syllables joined into one word. The second syllable is light. In nǐ hǎo, the first third tone rises before the next third tone; the usual spelling keeps both third-tone marks. Lesson 11 explains this. We separate syllables on practice cards to make their sounds easier to notice.
Syllables and words use the original course voice. Separate recordings are used only for simple, compound and nasal finals in the sound reference. For words, focus on the sound named on the card.
Record the two examples marked Practice 1 and Practice 2. Use the other examples whenever you want extra practice.
bā八eight
b + a → bā
Practice 1bà ba爸爸dad
bà + ba → bà ba
mā ma妈妈mum
mā + ma → mā ma
Practice 2nǐ hǎo你好hello
nǐ + hǎo → nǐ hǎo
Dedicated sound recordings · 1 examples
Listen in small groups. These reference sounds do not add completion tasks. The spellings show the intended targets; in connected speech, notice the spoken tones.
Light syllables in words
xièxie谢谢
Hear & choose · Quick review
Choose an answer for immediate feedback. You can retry; your first answers remain in the review summary.
1. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
2. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
3. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
4. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
5. Which part of bā is the final?
6. How many syllables are in bà ba?
Use it
Say a greeting, then use bà ba or mā ma to name a family member.
Family option: take turns listening, saying the example, and noticing one sound. Stay on this page; no extra materials are needed. Independent option: look away and say it again before recording.
Your practice so far
Finish the six review questions and the two recordings marked Practice 1 and Practice 2 for a practice-complete tick. Listening results and recording completion are separate. No pronunciation score is given.
Progress is saved for the selected learner on this browser. Voice clips stay in this tab and clear when it reloads.
Sources & image credits
Curriculum references: 幼儿汉语 1–4 and 中文 1–12. Lessons are organised by learning themes and include original texts and graded adaptations.
