# The Chinese Alphabet: Pinyin Workbook for Beginners in 12 Lessons You take each syllable apart into a first sound, an ending and a tone, and learn where every tone mark goes. Start here before your first words, or if you picked up Mandarin by ear. Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/pinyin-workbook-for-beginners ## At a glance - Level: Total beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Workbook · PDF · 42 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Oct 27, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/pinyin-workbook-for-beginners. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 你好！ (Nǐ hǎo!) — Hello! ## By the end you can - Split any syllable into initial, final and tone. See that every character is one syllable, and that 妈 is m, plus a, plus a 1st tone. Some syllables, like 爱 ài, have no initial at all. 妈 (mā): mum - Say and mark the four tones and the neutral tone. Hear how mā, má, mǎ and mà are four different words, and say the short, light neutral tone at the end of words like 谢谢. 谢谢 (xièxie): thank you - Tell b from p and d from t. Learn that Mandarin b and p differ by a puff of air, and test it with a tissue in front of your mouth: 八 bā has none, 怕 pà has a strong one. 怕 (pà): to be afraid - Say g k h and j q x, and find the hidden ü. Use j, q and x only with i or ü, and remember that ü drops its dots after them, so qu, ju and xu always mean qü, jü and xü. 去 (qù): to go - Curl or flatten the tongue for zh ch sh r and z c s. Curl the tongue back for zh, ch, sh and r, keep it flat for z, c and s, and say the buzzing i in syllables like chī, rì and zì. 吃 (chī): to eat - Glide through ai ei ao ou and tell -n from -ng. Say two vowels as one smooth sound, and end a syllable with the tongue at the front for -n or at the back for -ng, as in sān and máng. 忙 (máng): busy - Spell syllables that start with i, u or ü. Write them with y and w: i becomes yi, u becomes wu, ü becomes yu, and iou with no initial is written you. 鱼 (yú): fish - Put every tone mark on the right letter. Mark a or e when the syllable has one, o in ou, and the last vowel otherwise. That rule explains liù, duì and guì. 六 (liù): six - Say the tone changes and write real names. Say 你好 as ní hǎo, change 一 and 不 before a 4th tone, and write places like Běijīng and Xī'ān with capitals and apostrophes. 不是 (bú shì): is not ## What's inside - Lesson 1: What Is a Syllable? · Practice: Parts of a Syllable - Lesson 2: Four Tones and the Neutral Tone · Practice: Tones - Lesson 3: Single Finals: a o e i u ü · Practice: Single Finals - Lesson 4: Initials b p m f d t n l · Practice: b p m f d t n l - Lesson 5: Initials g k h and j q x · Practice: g k h and j q x - Lesson 6: zh ch sh r and z c s · Practice: zh ch sh r and z c s - Review 1: Read It in Pinyin - Lesson 7: Finals ai ei ao ou · Practice: ai ei ao ou - Lesson 8: Nasal Finals an en ang eng ong · Practice: Nasal Finals - Lesson 9: Finals After i u ü and y and w · Practice: y and w Spellings - Lesson 10: Where the Tone Mark Goes · Practice: Tone-Mark Placement - Lesson 11: Tone Changes: 3rd + 3rd, 一, 不 · Practice: Tone Changes - Lesson 12: Real Words, Names and Places · Practice: Words, Names and Places - Final review: A Pinyin Conversation - Reference: Initials · Finals · Spelling and Tone-Mark Rules - Cards: Tone-Pair Cards: 1st and 2nd · Tone-Pair Cards: 3rd and 4th - Tracker: My 12-Lesson Tracker ## How to use this book Twelve lessons, each a Learn page with four example words and a Practice page. Do two or three lessons a week and say every word aloud as you go. - Week 1: Syllables, tones and single finals. Lessons 1 to 3: the three parts of a syllable, the four tones and the neutral tone, and a o e i u ü. - Week 2: The initials. Lessons 4 to 6: the puff of air, j q x with ü, and curled or flat tongue. Then read the dialogue in Review 1 on page 15. - Week 3: The finals. Lessons 7 to 9: ai ei ao ou, -n and -ng, and spelling with y and w. - Week 4: Tone marks, tone changes and names. Lessons 10 to 12, then the final conversation on page 28. Find every rule in it before you check the reference pages. - Every day: Tone-pair cards. Cut out the cards on pages 32 and 33 and say a few pairs each day. Tick each lesson on the tracker as you finish it. ## Who it's for Total beginners who want the sounds right before they learn words, and learners who picked up Mandarin by ear and never sorted out the spelling and tone-mark rules. Before you start: Nothing. Every example word is printed in characters, pinyin and English, and each lesson builds on the sounds of the one before. ## What's in the 12 lessons? Each lesson is a Learn page with four example words and a Practice page. You go from the parts of a syllable and the tones to the single finals, three lessons of initials, three of finals and y and w spellings, then tone-mark placement, tone changes, and real words, names and places. Two reviews, reference pages, tone-pair cards and a tracker follow. ## How long does it take? About four weeks at two or three lessons a week. Say every word aloud as you go, and cut out the tone-pair cards on pages 32 and 33 to say a few pairs each day. ## Is there audio? The PDF has no audio. Each Learn page explains how to make the sound instead: where the tongue goes, whether there's a puff of air, and how the pitch moves. You test b and p with a tissue in front of your mouth, for example. ## Do I need to know any characters? No. The book teaches pinyin, and the characters are there beside each example so you start to recognise common ones like 你, 好 and 中国. ## Does it show how to type Chinese? Yes, briefly. Lesson 12 explains how to type with a pinyin keyboard: type the letters without tones, pick the character from the list, and use v for ü. ## What should I use next? Your First 14 Days of Spoken Mandarin teaches one short exchange a day, so you put the sounds to use. Chinese Tone Pair Flashcards: 80 Cards for All 20 Tone Pairs has free audio for every word. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. Version 2026-10, updated Oct 27, 2026.