Mandarin syllables split into initials 初声 and finals 终声, where the initial is a consonant (or sometimes zero) and the final carries the main vowel(s) plus any ending. Learning them helps with pronunciation and dictionary lookup.
Initials
Initials are consonants that begin a syllable; they shape the sound and tone placement. Mandarin has about 21 standard initials like b, p, m, f, and the retroflex zh.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌴 pāi | pāi | to clap | |
| 🍞 bāo | bāo | bag, to wrap | |
| 🍑 táo | táo | peach | |
| 🐢 tū | tū | to poke out | |
| 🐔 jī | jī | chicken | |
| 🏠 jiā | jiā | home | |
| 🤗 qīn | qīn | to kiss, relative | |
| 🎩 qǐ | qǐ | to rise | |
| 🧴 xǐ | xǐ | to wash | |
| ❄️ xià | xià | summer, down |
The consonant at the start of a syllable is called the initial
Finals
Finals follow the initial and consist of vowels and sometimes nasal endings; they carry the tone and give the syllable its sonority. Finals can be simple like a, o, e or compound like iao, uang.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 ā | ā | (sound) | |
| 🐸 á | á | (rising tone) | |
| 🐒 ǎ | ǎ | (falling-rising tone) | |
| 🐍 à | à | (falling tone) | |
| 🍊 o | o | (sound) | |
| 🍚 e | e | (sound) | |
| 🍵 i | i | (sound) | |
| 🍰 u | u | (sound) | |
| 🐶 ai | ai | to love | |
| 🚗 ao | ao | to taste | |
| 🌧️ ou | ou | rain | |
| 🐸 ei | ei | hey | |
| 🏠 an | an | safe | |
| 🌙 ang | ang | (nasal tone) | |
| 🐝 eng | eng | to respond | |
| 🎵 er | er | (suffix) |
Zero Initial
Some syllables start directly with a vowel sound and have no consonant initial; this is called a zero initial and occurs in syllables like ā, ài, ōu. Mandarin treats these as finals that stand alone or are preceded by a glottal stop.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍎 ā | ā | (sound) | |
| 🍊 ō | ō | (sound) | |
| 🐍 ài | ài | to love | |
| 🌧️ òu | òu | (sound) | |
| 🐶 ān | ān | peace | |
| 🌙 áng | áng | (tone) |
Summary
Mandarin syllables divide into an initial consonant (or zero) plus a final vowel/nasal that carries tone. Practice each initial and final so you can pronounce, distinguish, and look up words accurately.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025