Back to the knowledge ball
90 free lessons

Learn Chinese pinyin through tones, characters and words.

Choose one sound, open its visual map and listen as each branch connects pronunciation to meaning.

从一个拼音开始,沿着声调、汉字和词语一步步展开。

tone paths

Tone paths

See how a tone mark changes the character, word and meaning.

ma

Five tones open five meaning paths.

五个声调,五条意思路径。

ba

Compare ba through eight, pull, hold, dad, and the ba particle.

八、拔、把、爸、吧五条声调路径。

guo

Four tone paths without the neutral tone.

没有轻声的四声路径。

zhi

Compare zhi through knowing, straight lines, paper, and making.

知、直、纸、制四条常用路径。

yi

Four tone paths for one, aunt, chair, and meaning.

一、姨、椅、意四条声调路径。

yu

Compare yu through mud, fish, rainwater, and corn.

淤、鱼、雨、玉四条常用声调路径。

fu

Compare fu through skin, support, gentle touch, and paying.

肤、扶、抚、付四条高频声调路径。

jian

Compare jian through shoulder, picking up, and meeting.

肩、捡、见三条高频声调路径。

qi

Compare qi through seven, game pieces, getting up, and balloons.

七、棋、起、气四条高频声调路径。

qu

Compare qu through area, take, and go paths.

区、取、去三条声调路径。

li

Compare li through leave, inside, and strength paths.

离、里、力三条常用路径。

mei

Compare useful mei paths: not have, beautiful, younger sister.

没、美、妹三条常用路径。

shu

Compare shu paths through book, tree, and number words.

书、树、数连接到高频词。

ji

Compare ji through chick, anxious, several, and remember.

鸡、急、几、记四条高频路径。

hua

Compare hua through flower, slide, and drawing.

花、滑、画三条直观路径。

qing

Compare qing through clear, sunny, please, and celebrate.

清、晴、请、庆四条常用路径。

he

Compare he through drinking, river, and greeting card.

喝、河、贺三条常用路径。

zhao

Compare zhao through waving, finding, and photo.

招、找、照三条常用路径。

you

Compare you through excellent, swim, have, and right.

优、游、有、右四条常用路径。

bao

Compare bao through buns, treasure, and hugs.

包、宝、抱三条直观路径。

dao

Compare dao through scissors, island, and arrival.

刀、岛、到三条常用路径。

xing

Compare xing through stars, walking, waking, and happiness.

星、行、醒、兴四条高频路径。

tang

Compare tang through soup, candy, lying down, and hot touch.

汤、糖、躺、烫四条直观路径。

xiao

Compare xiao through small things and smiling.

小、笑两条高频路径。

shui

Compare shui through water and sleep.

水、睡两条生活路径。

men

Compare men through door and the people-plural ending.

门、们两条常用路径。

fan

Compare fan through turning pages, the back side, and rice.

翻、反、饭三条直观路径。

chang

Compare chang through the Great Wall, a square, and singing.

长、场、唱三条高频路径。

wan

Compare wan through a curved path, toys, evening, and a big number.

弯、玩、晚、万四条常用路径。

lao

Compare lao through work and teacher.

劳、老两条常用路径。

shang

Compare shang through stores and going to school.

商、上两条生活路径。

xia

Compare xia through shrimp and raining.

虾、下两条直观路径。

kou

Compare kou through pocket openings and buttons.

口、扣两条直观路径。

gao

Compare gao through high places, funny actions, and telling.

高、搞、告三条常用路径。

jin

Compare jin through today, tightness, and entering.

今、紧、进三条常用路径。

xin

Compare xin through heart, new things, and letters.

心、新、信三条常用路径。

shan

Compare shan through mountains, lightning, and fans.

山、闪、扇三条直观路径。

chuan

Compare chuan through wearing clothes, boats, and strings of items.

穿、船、串一组生活路径。

yan

Compare yan through mist, salt water, eyes, and a swallow.

烟、盐、眼、燕四条直观路径。

wei

Compare wei through smiling, scarves, tails, and feeding.

微、围、尾、喂四条生活路径。

xi

Compare xi through streams, study, handwashing, and games.

溪、习、洗、戏四条常用路径。

jie

Compare jie through streets, festivals, untying, borrowing, and the light tone in older sister.

街、节、解、借、姐五条路径,包含轻声。

jiao

Compare jiao through watering, chewing, dumplings, and calling.

浇、嚼、饺、叫四条生活路径。

ju

Compare ju through bowing, chrysanthemums, raising a hand, and toys.

鞠、菊、举、具四条直观路径。

wu

Compare wu through rooms, parasol trees, five items, and gifts.

屋、梧、五、物四条直观路径。

xian

Compare xian through going first, instrument strings, a safe box, and yarn.

先、弦、险、线四条直观路径。

zhu

Compare zhu through beads, bamboo, boiling noodles, and pillars.

珠、竹、煮、柱四条直观路径。

bo

Compare bo through pineapple, neck, mint, and the light tone in radish.

菠、脖、薄、卜四条真实路径,包含轻声。

ge

Compare ge through older brother, grid squares, the surname Ge, and height.

哥、格、葛、个四条路径,第三声用于姓氏读音。

jing

Compare jing through whales, wells, and mirrors; no second tone is invented.

鲸、井、镜三条真实路径,没有第二声。

bi

Compare bi through lifelike toys, noses, pencils, and closed eyes.

逼、鼻、笔、闭四条真实路径。

an

Compare an through safety and pressing a button.

安、按两条常用声调路径。

ang

Open one clear rising ang path through holding the head high.

昂连接到抬头向前的清晰路径。

pa

Compare pa through lying down, climbing, and feeling afraid.

趴、爬、怕三条具体路径。

zi

Compare zi through children and written Chinese characters.

子、字连接到家庭和汉字路径。

en

Compare en through gratitude and pressing a button.

恩、摁两条常用理解路径。

da

Open one concrete da path through big gates.

大连接到生活里的大门路径。

ta

Compare ta through he, towers, and stepping.

他、塔、踏三条生活路径。

chi

Open one clear chi path through eating a meal.

吃连接到吃饭的高频路径。

ci

Open one clear ci path through vocabulary words.

词连接到词语学习路径。

yin

Open one clear yin path through music.

音连接到音乐路径。

ying

Open one clear ying path through English learning.

英连接到英语学习路径。

tian

From sky to sweet, two tone paths.

天和甜,两条声调路径。

che

The car syllable che in the first tone.

一声车,坐汽车。

shou

Hand and thin: third then fourth tone.

手和瘦,一低一落。

pao

Run first, then blow bubbles with pao.

跑起来,吹泡泡。

tiao

Pick one tone, jump with the other.

挑一挑,跳一跳。

bai

White and one hundred share bai.

白色和一百。

hong

The color red in the second tone.

红红的颜色。

zuo

Sit, do, and left open three paths.

坐、做、左三条路径。

gou

A cute little puppy says gou.

可爱的小狗。

deng

Lamp, wait, and stool: three deng tones.

灯、等、凳。

sound contrast

Sound contrasts

Compare initials and finals that learners often hear as the same sound.

initial group

Initial groups

Keep the final steady while the opening sound changes.

sound paths

Sound paths

Follow a pronunciation through a small set of useful meanings.

homophones

Homophones

Connect one pronunciation to several Chinese characters.

word family

Word families

Start from one common character and grow useful vocabulary.