Pinyin Tone Mark Converter

Try an example:

Mandarin Chinese has four main tones plus a neutral tone. In numbered Pinyin the tone is written as a digit after the syllable; in standard Pinyin it is written as a diacritic over a vowel.

Want to train your ear to hear these? Try the free Tone Trainer Quiz or browse every syllable with audio on the Interactive Pinyin Chart.

This converter follows the official Hanyu Pinyin placement rules, applied in order:

1. If the syllable has an a or an e, mark it. A syllable never contains both. Examples: hǎo, xiě, tiān, huáng.
2. In ou, mark the o. Examples: dōu, zhòu, gǒu.
3. Otherwise, mark the last vowel. Examples: guì, liù, xǔ, nǚ, shuǐ → shuǐ (mark on i).

Typing tip: since ü is not on most keyboards, write v in numbered Pinyin — nv3 becomes nǚ and lv4 becomes lǜ, exactly as Chinese input methods do. Full details are in our Pinyin Spelling Rules guide.

Where does the tone mark go in guǐ?

Choose the placement: A gǔi (mark over u), or B guǐ (mark over i). In ui and iu, mark the last vowel. The correct reading is 鬼 guǐ. Now reverse the vowel order with 九 jiǔ — Nine: A jǐu (mark over i), or B jiǔ (mark over u). B is correct in both pairs; the A forms deliberately put the mark on the wrong vowel. This is the last-vowel rule from Pinyin Spelling Rules.

0:37

Transcript

1. Pinyin tone marks, which vowel gets the mark?
2. A, over U, or B, over I?
3. B, over I, in U I and I U, mark the last vowel.
4. 鬼 (guǐ)
5. 鬼 (guǐ)
6. Now nine, the vowels switch, I U.
7. A, over I, or B, over U?
8. B, over U, the last vowel again.
9. 九 (jiǔ)
10. 九 (jiǔ)
11. Type the two number spellings, convert them, then copy your result.
12. In U I and I U, mark the last vowel.
13. Convert a word of your own, free, at The Pure Language dot com.

Try it yourself: type gui3 jiu3 into the input box, press Numbers → Tone Marks to get guǐ jiǔ, then press Copy Result. Next convert a numbered Pinyin word of your own. The converter changes tone notation; it does not check whether every spelling is a valid Pinyin syllable. For that task, use the Pinyin Checker.

0:23

Transcript

1. How do you type a tone mark like this?
2. Type the syllable, then its tone as a number,
3. and a converter turns every number into its mark at once,
4. 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
5. Pinyin never uses the letter v, so it stands in for the dotted u.
6. Type the tone as a number, then convert it.

How do I convert ni3 hao3 to nǐ hǎo?

Type the Pinyin with tone numbers into the box above and click Numbers → Tone Marks. The tool places the correct diacritic on the correct vowel of each syllable, producing nǐ hǎo instantly.

How do I type ü in numbered Pinyin?

Type v — the same convention as Chinese input methods. Both nv3 and nü3 convert to nǚ.

What does tone number 5 mean?

Tone 5 (or 0) is the neutral tone — short, light, and unstressed, written with no mark. Example: nǐ hǎo ma (你好吗).

Can I convert tone marks back to numbers?

Yes — paste Pinyin with diacritics and click Tone Marks → Numbers. Numbered Pinyin (ni3 hao3) is the standard format in dictionaries like CC-CEDICT and in flashcard decks such as Anki.

Is my text sent to a server?

No. Conversion happens entirely in your browser with JavaScript — it is instant, private, and works even for long passages.