Additional Links of Interest
(All links on this page will open in a new tab or window)
*See notes below
Mandarin Strokes
An online resource with stroke order diagrams and much more!
Much of their information is free. But for a small yearly fee you can have access to all aspects of their site.
They also have books and ebooks available.
www.Mandarinstrokes.com
Mandarin Strokes
An online resource with stroke order diagrams and much more!
Much of their information is free. But for a small yearly fee you can have access to all aspects of their site.They also have books and ebooks available.
www.Mandarinstrokes.com
Pinyin Tones
"PinyinTones" provides an installable Windows text "service" that allows you type Pinyin with tone marks into any Windows program.
After it has been installed on your computer, it creates a "keyboard" for typing Pinyin.
So, install "Pinyin Tones"! No more printing out and writing-in tones by hand, no more searching through lists of symbols, no more copying-and-pasting from composition programs.
What could be simpler?
PinyinTones is free and open-source.
Optional donations to the developer are helpful! Show your support with a few dollars!
On the Pinyin Tones web page there is a place to make a donation.
Also don't forget to install Microsoft's own tool for typing Chinese characters.
Using MS-Windows configuration screens, enable Microsoft's Chinese character input tool.
Use: "Chinese (Simplified, China) - Microsoft Pinyin"
In the context of that Microsoft tool, "Pinyin" is referring to the mechanism used to search and then display possible "characters" to select!
After these installations, it is simple to switch back and forth among three keyboards: Normal, Pinyin, and Chinese Characters.
Usage note:
Tao Yue, the creator of "PinyinTones", has done a good job of working around various bugs and the strange behavior of Microsoft Word. However, Microsoft constantly changes their software, adding features; sometimes fixing bugs; sometimes introducing new bugs.
When using the pinyin keyboard, you may find that MS-Word mysteriously changes the font to something odd like "MS-Mincho". If this occurs on your PC, try this:
Open MS-Word. at the bottom of the screen is a status bar. Toward the left side you should see the current "language" displayed. Click that text and a dialog box labeled "Language" will open. "Un-check" the box labeled "Detect language automatically" (toward bottom of the dialog box). This should resolve the problem.
www.pinyintones.com
Pinyin Tones
"PinyinTones" provides an installable Windows text "service" that allows you type Pinyin with tone marks into any Windows program.
After it has been installed on your computer, it creates a "keyboard" for typing Pinyin.So, install "Pinyin Tones"! No more printing out and writing-in tones by hand, no more searching through lists of symbols, no more copying-and-pasting from composition programs.
What could be simpler?
PinyinTones is free and open-source.
Optional donations to the developer are helpful! Show your support with a few dollars!
On the Pinyin Tones web page there is a place to make a donation.
Also don't forget to install Microsoft's own tool for typing Chinese characters.
Using MS-Windows configuration screens, enable Microsoft's Chinese character input tool.
Use: "Chinese (Simplified, China) - Microsoft Pinyin"
In the context of that Microsoft tool, "Pinyin" is referring to the mechanism used to search and then display possible "characters" to select!
After these installations, it is simple to switch back and forth among three keyboards: Normal, Pinyin, and Chinese Characters.
Usage note:
Tao Yue, the creator of "PinyinTones", has done a good job of working around various bugs and the strange behavior of Microsoft Word. However, Microsoft constantly changes their software, adding features; sometimes fixing bugs; sometimes introducing new bugs.
When using the pinyin keyboard, you may find that MS-Word mysteriously changes the font to something odd like "MS-Mincho". If this occurs on your PC, try this:
Open MS-Word. at the bottom of the screen is a status bar. Toward the left side you should see the current "language" displayed. Click that text and a dialog box labeled "Language" will open. "Un-check" the box labeled "Detect language automatically" (toward bottom of the dialog box). This should resolve the problem.
www.pinyintones.com
Online Pinyin Tool
Online tool for typing Pinyin with tones
This tool takes a different approach.
Enter pinyin in a browser window, using numbers to indicate tones.
Then you press a button which renders the text with proper tone marks.
Copy / Paste from your browser window into word processor document or other place you need the Pinyin text.
This tool is a time-consuming to use, but on the plus-side, you don't have to install anything!
www.purpleculture.net/pinyin-tone-tool
Online Pinyin Tool
Online tool for typing Pinyin with tones
This tool takes a different approach.Enter pinyin in a browser window, using numbers to indicate tones.
Then you press a button which renders the text with proper tone marks.
Copy / Paste from your browser window into word processor document or other place you need the Pinyin text.
This tool is a time-consuming to use, but on the plus-side, you don't have to install anything!
www.purpleculture.net/pinyin-tone-tool
Pinyin Charts
Online "charts" to learn Pinyin pronunciation
At first, "Pinyin" can seem a bit confusing for English speakers. Pinyin uses the "Roman Alphabet" (The same alphabet we use!) to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese words.
Although many letters use the same sounds as English, some don't!
Pinyin is designed to indicate pronunciation based on an (optional) "Initial" combined with a "Final". This is important!
Linguists use the term "diphthong" to describe a "sliding" sound produced by adjacent sounds (often vowels) within a single syllable. With Pinyin vowel diphthongs, the sounds of the individual adjacent vowels DO NOT necessarily maintain the same pronunciation of the indicated vowel when used individually! But within Pinyin the sound of the indicated diphthong is generally consistent. This is why it is important to note the pronunciation of "finals" as elements, rather than focus on the individual letters.
Also, Chinese words are spoken with a specific "tone" (indicated with a mark over a vowel). If you change the tone, you are saying a completely different word!
These online "pronunciation charts" show all possible combinations of letters used in Pinyin. Cool!
Better yet, each of these web sites includes clickable links that play an audio clip demonstrating pronunciation!
Here are links to three different versions. See which one you like best!
www.digmandarin.com/chinese-pinyin-chart
www.PurpleCulture.net/chinese-pinyin-chart
Chinese.Yabla.com/chinese-pinyin-chart.php
Pinyin Charts
Online "charts" to learn Pinyin pronunciation
At first, "Pinyin" can seem a bit confusing for English speakers. Pinyin uses the "Roman Alphabet" (The same alphabet we use!) to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese words.Although many letters use the same sounds as English, some don't!
Pinyin is designed to indicate pronunciation based on an (optional) "Initial" combined with a "Final". This is important!
Linguists use the term "diphthong" to describe a "sliding" sound produced by adjacent sounds (often vowels) within a single syllable. With Pinyin vowel diphthongs, the sounds of the individual adjacent vowels DO NOT necessarily maintain the same pronunciation of the indicated vowel when used individually! But within Pinyin the sound of the indicated diphthong is generally consistent. This is why it is important to note the pronunciation of "finals" as elements, rather than focus on the individual letters.
Also, Chinese words are spoken with a specific "tone" (indicated with a mark over a vowel). If you change the tone, you are saying a completely different word!
These online "pronunciation charts" show all possible combinations of letters used in Pinyin. Cool!
Better yet, each of these web sites includes clickable links that play an audio clip demonstrating pronunciation!
Here are links to three different versions. See which one you like best!