Hear it. Type it. Tone it.

Pinyin Listening Dictation

Q: How does Pinyin Listening Dictation work?

Press play to hear a real HSK word spoken by a native-quality Chinese voice, then type its pinyin with a tone number after each syllable — for example ni3 hao3 for nǐ hǎo. Each syllable is graded separately: green means letters and tone are both right, yellow means the letters are right but the tone is wrong, and gray means the letters are wrong. You can replay the audio as many times as you need before answering.

Q: How do I type tones in the dictation game?

Write the tone as a number right after each syllable: 1 for the high flat tone (ā), 2 for rising (á), 3 for dipping (ǎ), 4 for falling (à), and 5 or 0 for the neutral tone. For example, 电脑 diànnǎo is typed dian4 nao3, and 爸爸 bàba is typed ba4 ba5. Spaces between syllables are optional.

Q: How do I type ü in pinyin dictation?

Type the letter v for ü — the same convention every Chinese input method uses, since pinyin itself never uses v. For example, 女儿 nǚ'ér is typed nv3 er2. Typing ü directly or u: also works.

Q: Is dictation a good way to learn Chinese listening?

Yes — dictation is one of the most effective listening exercises because it forces full decoding: you cannot write dian4 nao3 unless you correctly heard both the sounds and the tones. Multiple-choice listening lets you guess from context; dictation reveals exactly which syllables and which tones your ear misses, so you know what to practice.

Q: Which words does the dictation game use?

All words come from the official HSK 1–6 vocabulary lists, so everything you hear is a real, exam-relevant word. Pick your HSK level before each round: HSK 1 uses beginner words like nǐ hǎo and xièxie, while HSK 6 draws from advanced vocabulary. Higher levels earn proportionally higher leaderboard scores.

A real HSK word is spoken aloud — type its full pinyin with tone numbers. Per-syllable feedback shows whether your ear or your tones need the work. Six levels, from nǐ hǎo to newspaper Chinese.

Tone Trainer Learning Center

How to Play

Listen — the word plays automatically; replay it as often as you like with the big button.
Type pinyin + tones — a number after each syllable: dian4 nao3 for diànnǎo. Use v for ü (nv3 = nǚ), 5 or 0 for the neutral tone. Spaces are optional.
Check — every syllable is graded: green letters + tone right · yellow letters right, tone wrong · gray letters wrong.

A perfect word scores 10, right-letters-wrong-tone scores 5 — and your final score is multiplied by the HSK level you played.

Level:

Ear training

Ready to take dictation?

Pick an HSK level, listen to real exam words, and type what you hear — letters and tones. Replays are free, guessing is not.

Why Dictation Beats Multiple-Choice Listening

No hiding from your ear

Multiple-choice lets you eliminate answers you never actually heard. Dictation forces full decoding — you can't type dian4 nao3 unless you truly caught both syllables and both tones. Every gap in your listening shows up in the grading.

Separates sounds from tones

The yellow chip is the most useful feedback in the game: it means your ear caught the letters but missed the pitch. Most learners discover their "listening problem" is really a tone problem — and tones can be trained specifically.

Real HSK exam words

Every word comes from the official HSK 1–6 lists, and HSK listening sections play each clip only once or twice. Practicing dictation on the exact exam vocabulary is about as close to test-day training as a two-minute game can get.

Typing Cheat Sheet

Tone numbers

1	ā high & flat	妈 mā	→ `ma1`
2	á rising	麻 má	→ `ma2`
3	ǎ dip & rise	马 mǎ	→ `ma3`
4	à falling	骂 mà	→ `ma4`
5	neutral, light	吗 ma	→ `ma5`

Worked examples

你好 nǐ hǎo → ni3 hao3 (or ni3hao3 — spaces optional)
爸爸 bàba → ba4 ba5 — the second syllable is neutral
女儿 nǚ'ér → nv3 er2 — type v for ü
一点儿 yìdiǎnr → yi4 dianr3 — the -r sticks to its syllable

Not sure a syllable exists? The interactive Pinyin Chart lists every legal one with audio — comparing zh/ch/j/q there between rounds is fair play.

This Round

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Perfect-word accuracy 0%

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Related Resources

Pinyin Tone Trainer Listening Comprehension Quiz Pinyin Spelling Quiz Daily Pinyin Wordle HSK 1–6 Vocabulary Lists