Chinese to Pinyin Converter (Free, Online)
Paste Chinese text and get accurate tone-marked pinyin instantly. Free online Hanzi-to-pinyin converter with pinyin above characters, copy button, and audio in the full reader.
Paste any Chinese sentence above and get tone-marked pinyin instantly — with pinyin shown right above each character, or as a plain pinyin line you can copy. No sign-up, no limits.
How this pinyin converter works
The converter reads your text word by word, not just character by character. It matches the longest known word first (so 中文 becomes zhōngwén, not zhōng wén), then falls back to single characters. Pinyin comes with the correct tone marks, drawn from an HSK 1–6 vocabulary base.
- Pinyin above characters — best for reading practice and study sheets.
- Pinyin only — best for copying into notes, subtitles, or flashcards.
When to use pinyin — and when to drop it
Pinyin is a bridge, not a destination. It is genuinely useful when you are:
- Checking the tone of a word you half-remember
- Preparing a reading text for a beginner or a class
- Adding pronunciation to a name, menu item, or sign
- Building flashcards that pair characters with sound
Once you can recognize a character reliably, hide the pinyin. Leaning on it forever slows character recognition — the whole point of reading is to connect meaning to the character directly.
Pinyin above characters vs. pinyin only
| Output | Best for |
|---|---|
| Pinyin above characters | Reading along, tone checking, printable study sheets |
| Pinyin only | Copying into Anki, notes, or captions |
Get audio and meanings, not just pinyin
A converter tells you how to say a word. It does not tell you what the word means, let you hear a native voice, or help you remember it. For that, open the same text in Pinyora's reader: tap any word for pinyin, English, and audio, then save it to review later.
- Tap-to-define on every word
- Sentence and word audio in a natural Mandarin voice
- Save vocabulary from the sentence it appeared in
- Track which HSK words you already know
Paste the same text into Pinyora and read it properly — pinyin, meaning, and sound in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Is this pinyin converter free? Yes, completely, with no sign-up and no character limit.
Does it show tone marks? Yes — pinyin is rendered with tone marks (mā, má, mǎ, mà), not tone numbers.
Why do a few characters have no pinyin? The converter covers common HSK-level vocabulary. Very rare characters or names may not be matched — open the text in the full reader for wider coverage and definitions.
Can I convert traditional characters? It works best with simplified Chinese. Traditional text will convert where the characters overlap with the vocabulary base.