Use this tool to add tone marks to pinyin or to convert tone number (e.g. hao3) to tone marks.

Although you can use the red buttons to add tone marks, we highly recommend you use the number method (e.g. hao3) for speed and placement of the accent above the correct vowel. [Hint: Type "v" for "ü"]
Note: You do not need to use this tool to enter pinyin in this dictionary.

Let’s Get Abstract With Chinese Ideograms

Simple Chinese Ideograms or Ideographs were the second type of character that were developed after pictographs. Pictographs are characters that look very similar to the word they describe, such as 口 ‘mouth’ and 手 ‘hand’. Ideograms, on the other hand are known as 指事 (zhǐ shì) or ‘indirect characters’ and are often symbolic characters depicting abstract concepts…. Read More

How to Handwrite Chinese Characters with Finesse

When we first start handwriting Chinese characters, we’re often unprepared and lack the knowledge to know how to begin. It’s difficult to comprehend if English or other Germanic language is your native tongue, the subtle nuances of strokes in a Chinese character. When we learn to write English, there are only 26 letters to learn,… Read More

Neolithic China And The Beginnings Of Chinese Civilization

What is ‘Chinese civilization’ 华夏文明 (huá xià wén míng)? Chinese civilization 华夏文明 (huá xià wén míng) begins, according to records, with the creation of the Xia dynasty 夏朝 (xià cháo) in 2070 BC. Although the Xia dynasty was the first ‘civilization’ in China, there were people who lived on the land well before Yu the Great… Read More

How To Make Sure Your Chinese Characters Are Balanced

Aside from remembering how to write them, writing ‘beautiful’ characters can be a challenge. Using the adjective ‘beautiful’ might seem strange, but there is a particular finesse that comes with writing Chinese characters that, when written correctly, can be beautiful. When I first began learning to write Chinese characters (yes, you’ve heard my story a… Read More