Bopomofo (Zhuyin) Chart: All 37 Symbols with Pinyin and Examples
Updated
Bopomofo, officially called Zhuyin Fuhao (注音符號), is the phonetic alphabet used in Taiwan. Children in Taiwan learn it at the start of first grade, before they learn characters, and it is the most widely used input method in Taiwan for typing Chinese on phones and computers. The name comes from the first four symbols: ㄅ (b), ㄆ (p), ㄇ (m) and ㄈ (f).
How a syllable is built
Each symbol stands for a sound, and a syllable is written with one to three symbols plus a tone mark (the first tone is unmarked). The symbols always come in the same order:
- An initial consonant (21 symbols, ㄅ to ㄙ)
- A medial vowel (ㄧ, ㄨ or ㄩ)
- A final (13 symbols, ㄚ to ㄦ)
Most syllables use only some of the three parts. 八 (eight) is ㄅㄚ, an initial plus a final. 一 (one) is just ㄧ. 吃 (eat) is just ㄔ: seven initials, ㄓ ㄔ ㄕ ㄖ ㄗ ㄘ ㄙ, can stand as a syllable on their own.
The 37 symbols
The chart groups the symbols by their role. For each one it shows the key that types it on the standard keyboard layout used in Taiwan, its Pinyin spelling, a rough English sound hint and an example word from Taiwan's elementary school vocabulary. The sound hints are approximations; use them as a starting point and check them against a teacher or native audio.
Initials
| Zhuyin | Key | Pinyin | Alone | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄅ | 1 | b | — | between "b" in "boy" and "p" in "spy"; no puff of air | 八 ㄅㄚeight |
| ㄆ | Q | p | — | like "p" in "pie", with a strong puff of air | 跑 ㄆㄠˇrun |
| ㄇ | A | m | — | like "m" in "me" | 貓 ㄇㄠcat |
| ㄈ | Z | f | — | like "f" in "fun" | 飯 ㄈㄢˋrice; meal |
| ㄉ | 2 | d | — | between "d" in "do" and "t" in "stop"; no puff of air | 大 ㄉㄚˋbig |
| ㄊ | W | t | — | like "t" in "top", with a strong puff of air | 湯 ㄊㄤsoup |
| ㄋ | S | n | — | like "n" in "no" | 牛 ㄋㄧㄡˊcow |
| ㄌ | X | l | — | like "l" in "let" | 來 ㄌㄞˊcome |
| ㄍ | E | g | — | between "g" in "go" and "k" in "skin"; no puff of air | 狗 ㄍㄡˇdog |
| ㄎ | D | k | — | like "k" in "kite", with a strong puff of air | 哭 ㄎㄨcry |
| ㄏ | C | h | — | like "h" in "hot", but rougher and further back | 喝 ㄏㄜdrink |
| ㄐ | R | j | — | like "j" in "jeep", tongue tip down behind the lower teeth | 雞 ㄐㄧchicken |
| ㄑ | F | q | — | like "ch" in "cheap", tongue tip down, with a puff of air | 七 ㄑㄧseven |
| ㄒ | V | x | — | between "s" in "see" and "sh" in "she", tongue tip down | 小 ㄒㄧㄠˇsmall |
| ㄓ | 5 | zh | zhi | like "j" in "judge" with the tongue curled back; no puff of air | 豬 ㄓㄨpig |
| ㄔ | T | ch | chi | like "ch" in "church" with the tongue curled back | 吃 ㄔeat |
| ㄕ | G | sh | shi | like "sh" in "shirt" with the tongue curled back | 十 ㄕˊten |
| ㄖ | B | r | ri | between "r" in "run" and "s" in "measure" | 肉 ㄖㄡˋmeat |
| ㄗ | Y | z | zi | like "ds" in "kids" | 走 ㄗㄡˇwalk |
| ㄘ | H | c | ci | like "ts" in "cats", with a puff of air | 草 ㄘㄠˇgrass |
| ㄙ | N | s | si | like "s" in "sun" | 三 ㄙㄢthree |
Medials
| Zhuyin | Key | Pinyin | Alone | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄧ | U | i | yi | like "ee" in "see" | 一 ㄧone |
| ㄨ | J | u | wu | like "oo" in "too" | 五 ㄨˇfive |
| ㄩ | M | ü(u after j, q, x) | yu | say "ee" with your lips rounded as for "oo" | 魚 ㄩˊfish |
Finals
| Zhuyin | Key | Pinyin | Alone | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ㄚ | 8 | a | a | like "a" in "father" | 阿姨 ㄚ ㄧˊaunt |
| ㄛ | I | o | o | like "o" in British "more", or the "uo" in "duo", lips rounded | 脖子 ㄅㄛˊ ˙ㄗneck |
| ㄜ | K | e | e | like "uh" in "duh", with the tongue pulled back | 餓 ㄜˋhungry |
| ㄝ | , | ê | ê | like "e" in "yes" | 葉子 ㄧㄝˋ ˙ㄗleaf |
| ㄞ | 9 | ai | ai | like "eye" | 海 ㄏㄞˇsea |
| ㄟ | O | ei | ei | like "ay" in "say" | 給 ㄍㄟˇgive |
| ㄠ | L | ao | ao | like "ow" in "cow" | 好 ㄏㄠˇgood |
| ㄡ | . | ou | ou | like "o" in "go" | 手 ㄕㄡˇhand |
| ㄢ | 0 | an | an | "a" as in "father" plus "n" | 山 ㄕㄢmountain |
| ㄣ | P | en | en | like "un" in "taken" | 門 ㄇㄣˊdoor |
| ㄤ | ; | ang | ang | "a" as in "father" plus "ng" as in "sing" | 羊 ㄧㄤˊsheep |
| ㄥ | / | eng | eng | like "ung" in "lung" | 風 ㄈㄥwind |
| ㄦ | - | er | er | like "er" in American "her" | 二 ㄦˋtwo |
Tones
| Tone | Mark | Key | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st tone | no mark | Space | High and level, held steady |
| 2nd tone | ˊ | 6 | Rising, like a surprised "what?" |
| 3rd tone | ˇ | 3 | Low; on its own it dips and rises, before another syllable it usually stays low |
| 4th tone | ˋ | 4 | Falling sharply from high to low, like a firm "no!" |
| Neutral tone | ˙ | 7 | Light and short; the dot is written before the syllable |
Writing the tones
Mandarin has four tones plus a light, neutral tone. In Zhuyin the tone mark is written after the symbols, and the first tone has no mark at all. The neutral tone dot is the exception: it goes before the symbols, as in ˙ㄇㄚ.
The classic example is ma: ㄇㄚ 媽 (mother), ㄇㄚˊ 麻 (hemp), ㄇㄚˇ 馬 (horse), ㄇㄚˋ 罵 (to scold) and ˙ㄇㄚ 嗎 (a question particle).
When you type, every tone is a key pressed after the symbols, including the neutral tone. The first tone uses the Space bar.
Practice the symbols
Reading the chart is a start, but the key positions stick once your fingers know them. The symbol drill shows one symbol at a time and highlights its key. Start in chart order, then switch to random order once you can find most keys without looking.