Venalango — Learn Chinese for real life

01 / SYLLABLES

Start with
the sounds.

Pinyin shows how Mandarin sounds are written. Select a syllable to connect its pronunciation with real Chinese characters and meanings.

412 syllables · written examples · audio

02 / NUMBERS

Small pieces.
Bigger numbers.

Read prices, count, and tell the time. Learn 0–9, then use 十 (ten), 百 (hundred), and 千 (thousand) to build larger numbers.

0–9 · 10–90 · 100–900 · 1,000

03 / EVERYDAY CHARACTERS

Recognise a character.
Find a connection.

Start with useful building blocks like you, me, water, and person. Pair the written form with its sound, then try writing it yourself.

Hanzi · pinyin · meaning · writing

04 / TONES

Same sound.
Different meaning.

Mandarin has four main tones and a light neutral tone. Listen to the same syllable in each tone, then imitate the pitch—not just the letters.

Tap a card to listen and repeat

Pronunciation & spelling guide

Tone marks

Mark a first, then e, then o in ou; otherwise mark the last vowel: hǎo, xiè, liú, guī. Neutral tone has no tone mark.

y and w

These spell syllables without a consonant initial: i → yi, ia → ya, u → wu, uo → wo; ü → yu, üe → yue.

The ü dots

Keep the dots in nü, lü, nüe, lüe. After j, q, x and y, ü is written u: ju, qu, xu, yu.

Short spellings

After an initial, iou → iu, uei → ui, and uen → un: liu, gui, lun. Without an initial: you, wei, wen.

Different i sounds

The i in zi, ci, si and zhi, chi, shi, ri is different from the vowel in yi, mi, and li.

Third-tone changes

Before another third tone, the first is spoken with a rising tone: nǐ hǎo sounds like ní hǎo. Elsewhere it is often low, without a full rise.

一 and 不

一 yī becomes yí before a fourth tone and usually yì before tones 1–3. 不 bù becomes bú before a fourth tone. Their dictionary tones remain yī and bù.

Neutral tone

A neutral syllable is short and light; its pitch depends on the preceding tone. Examples: māma 妈妈, xièxie 谢谢, and the question particle ma 吗.

Syllable boundaries

Use an apostrophe before a following a-, o-, or e-initial syllable when needed to clarify the boundary: Xī’ān 西安.

Erhua and rare sounds

The -r suffix can merge with a preceding syllable: huār 花儿. Rare interjections include ê, syllabic m, n, and ng; these sit outside the core syllable grid.

Character examples adapted from CC-CEDICT under CC BY-SA 4.0. Pinyin reference.

Everyday phrases & sentences

Listen and repeat

你好。Nǐ hǎo.Hello.

谢谢。Xièxie.Thank you.

对不起。Duìbuqǐ.Sorry.

多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it?

我听不懂。Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.I don’t understand.

请说慢一点。Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.Please speak a little slower.

WRITING PRACTICE0 / 23 traced

一

yī

1 · one

Start at 1. Follow the arrows.Direction guides

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Stroke guideFinger, stylus, or mouse

Watch the strokes, trace the outline, then try from memory.

USEFUL CHINESE

Words for what you’re here to do.

Choose your situation and start with a sentence you can use.

Your first meeting

很高兴认识你。

Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

It’s a pleasure to meet you.

QUICK PRACTICE

A little practice.
A little more confidence.

Connect the meaning to the character. Try the numbers first, then write them above.

Go to writing practice

QUESTION 1 OF 10

Which character means “zero”?

ASK YOUR CHINESE TUTOR

A question away
from understanding.

Ask about a word, a tone, a sentence, or a situation. Get a clear explanation with Chinese writing, pinyin, and meaning.

TRY A QUESTION

Chinese tutor

你好！Nǐ hǎo!

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