Mandarin Pinyin Syllable Inventory & Spelling Rules

33 question-and-answer flashcards covering simple & compound finals, nasal finals, special spelling rules (y, w, ü), aspirated vs. unaspirated initials, alveolo-palatals, and example syllable formation in Mandarin Pinyin.

How many simple (single-vowel) finals exist in standard Pinyin?

Six – a, o, e, i, u, ü

Name any three compound finals that end with –i.

ai, ei, ui (others include ao, ou, iu, ie, üe)

Which nasal finals end with –n?

an, en, in, un, ün

Which nasal finals end with –ng?

ang, eng, ing, ong

What special ‘retroflex/apical’ vowel is spelled –i after zh, ch, sh & r?

A buzzed, non-front vowel (often written /ɿ/ or /ʅ/).

Which six initials are considered unaspirated stops/affricates?

b, d, g, z, zh, j

Which six initials are their aspirated counterparts?

p, t, k, c, ch, q

Give the three alveolo-palatal initials.

j, q, x

What medial glide does the letter y represent at the start of a syllable?

The high front vowel /i/ (e.g., yi = i).

What medial glide does the letter w represent at the start of a syllable?

/u/ (e.g., wu = u).

When is the umlaut over ü normally dropped?

After j, q, x and y (e.g., ju, qu, xu, yu).

Write the full Pinyin syllable for the sound /tʂʰu̯aŋ/.

chuang

Which final combines u + ai?

uai

Which final combines u + ang?

uang

Give two finals that start with i- but contain nasal endings.

ian, iang, in, ing, iong (any two)

Which final is the only one spelled with the letter r?

er

In the syllable zhong, what are the initial and the final?

Initial = zh, final = ong

List all three written forms that represent the ü sound.

ü (with umlaut), u (after j/q/x/y), yu (when syllable starts with y).

What is the Pinyin for the syllable /tɕʰjɛn/?

qian

Convert the English word ‘bang’ (as in ‘help’) to its Pinyin syllable.

bang

Which nasal final follows the letter u to create ‘un’?

un (pronounced like English ‘wən’).

What final is added to ‘b’ to form bao?

ao

Which initial + final pair gives the syllable ‘fei’?

f + ei

True or False: The syllable ‘jiu’ contains the diphthong iu.

True

What rule explains why ‘i’ is written as ‘yi’ when standing alone?

Pinyin requires every syllable to start with a consonant letter; ‘y’ is added to mark initial /i/.

Which two initials share the same place of articulation as English ‘sh’ but differ in aspiration?

sh (unaspirated) vs. ch (aspirated).

Provide the Pinyin for /swo/

suo

Which initial must precede the final üe to form ‘jue’?

j

Translate the sound /hwaɪ/ into Pinyin.

huai

What is the only permissible final after the initial r that begins with a rounded back vowel?

ong (as in rong, rou uses ou, not rounded back vowel)