Pinyin KeyboardType pinyin with tone marks — ni3 → nǐ

• Put the tone number right after each syllable: ma1 ma2 ma3 ma4 → mā má mǎ mà.
• Use 5 or 0 (or no number) for the neutral tone: xie4xie5 → xièxie.
• Type v (or u:) for ü: lv4 → lǜ, nv3 → nǚ, lve4 → lüè.
• Capital letters, spaces, punctuation and apostrophes are kept: Xi1'an1 → Xī'ān.

The keyboard places the mark for you, following the standard rules:

1. a or e always takes the mark: hǎo, méi, xiè.
2. In ou, the o takes it: dōu, zǒu.
3. Otherwise the mark goes on the last vowel: guì, liú, duō.

Not sure what the four tones sound like? Read our guide to the Mandarin tones, with audio for every example.

Mac

Add the ABC – Extended input source (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit → +). Then hold Option and press a key, release, and type the vowel:

• Option+A, then a → ā (first tone)
• Option+E, then a → á (second tone)
• Option+V, then a → ǎ (third tone)
• Option+`, then a → à (fourth tone)

Windows and phones

Windows has no simple built-in shortcut for pinyin tone marks, and phone keyboards usually offer only some of them when you long-press a vowel (the third-tone ǎ is often missing). This page is the quickest way: type, then copy.

To type 你好 rather than nǐ hǎo, add a Chinese pinyin input method. You type pinyin without tones, then pick the character:

• Windows: Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Chinese (Simplified, China). It includes Microsoft Pinyin.
• Mac: System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit → + → Chinese, Simplified → Pinyin – Simplified.
• iPhone / iPad: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Chinese, Simplified → Pinyin – QWERTY.
• Android (Gboard): Gboard settings → Languages → Add keyboard → Chinese (Simplified) → Pinyin.

Have Chinese text and need its pinyin? Paste it into our Pinyin Converter.