Hear it. Type it. Tone it.
Pinyin Listening Dictation
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.
- 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 nao3for 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.
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.
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.
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(orni3hao3— 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.
Three words, typed step by step
Say the game plays 电脑 diànnǎo, "computer". Type the letters you hear, then a tone number after each syllable: dian4 nao3. Two green chips mean the letters and both tones are right.
Next, 爸爸 bàba, "daddy". Type ba4 ba4 and the second chip turns yellow: the letters are right, the tone is not. That second syllable is neutral, short and light, so it takes a 5: ba4 ba5. Then 女儿 nǚ'ér, "daughter": there is no ü key, and pinyin never uses v, so type nv3 er2.
Transcript
- Can you type a Chinese word you have only heard?
- 电脑 (diànnǎo)
- 电脑 (diànnǎo)
- Type the letters you hear, then a tone number after each syllable.
- Two green chips, letters and tones both right.
- Next word.
- 爸爸 (bàba)
- 爸爸 (bàba)
- A four on both, and the second chip turns yellow, right letters, wrong tone.
- That second syllable is too relaxed to have a tone, so it gets a five.
- Last one.
- 女儿 (nǚ'ér)
- 女儿 (nǚ'ér)
- No key for the u with two dots? Pinyin never uses v, so v stands in.
- Green, all right. Yellow, check the tone. Gray, check the letters.
- Type the letters, then a tone number, for every syllable.
- Pick a level and try Pinyin Dictation, free, at The Pure Language dot com.
Type the letters, then a tone number, for every syllable.
Lots of yellow chips? Your ear is catching the sounds and missing the pitch, and the Tone Trainer drills exactly that. Then pick a level and press Start Dictation.
Questions people ask
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.