Pinyin tone marks converter

How to type it

• Put the tone number right after each syllable: zhong1 guo2 or zhong1guo2.
• Use 5 or 0 for the neutral tone (ma5), or no number at all.
• Type ü as v, the input-method habit: lv4, nü3 and nu:3 all work. After j, q, x and y a plain u is already ü (xue2 → xué).
• An apostrophe separates syllables that could run together: xi1'an1 → xī'ān.

Where the tone mark goes

Every syllable has one mark, on one vowel. If there is an a or an e, the mark goes there (hǎo, xiè). In ou, it goes on the o (dōu). Otherwise it goes on the last vowel, which is why it is liú but guì. ü keeps its dots and takes the mark on top (lǜ). The neutral tone has no mark in pinyin; in 注音 it is a dot written before the syllable (˙ㄇㄜ).

The four marks are small pictures of the pitch: ˉ high and level, ˊ rising, ˇ dipping, ˋ falling. See them drawn from real recordings in the guide to the four Chinese tones.

How to type tone marks on your own keyboard

• Mac: add the ABC – Extended keyboard in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources. Then Option + a gives ˉ (ā), Option + e gives ˊ (á), Option + v gives ˇ (ǎ) and Option + ` gives ˋ (à): press the shortcut, then the vowel.
• Windows: there is no simple built-in shortcut. Type with numbers here and copy the result.
• Phone: long-press a vowel on the keyboard. Most keyboards offer ā, á and à, but not always ǎ, so copy that one from here. For 注音, add the Zhuyin keyboard (Chinese, Traditional).

Pinyin or 注音?

Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet and is the standard in mainland China and in most textbooks abroad. 注音 (Zhuyin, also called Bopomofo) uses its own symbols and is what children learn in Taiwan. They describe the same sounds and the same four tones, so this page shows both. If you plan to live or study in Taiwan, learning to read 注音 is worth a few hours: it is on many signs, in children's books and on phone keyboards.

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