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Tools/Mandarin Chinese to IPA

Mandarin Chinese to IPA converter

Convert Mandarin Chinese (Pinyin) to IPA phonetic transcription. See the IPA, hear the word, and turn it into review-ready flashcards — without leaving what you are reading.

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Free web converter, no install. Or 10 transcriptions/day free on the desktop app.

Mandarin Chinese in IPA

A worked example to show what the output looks like.

你好/nǐ hǎo/hello (Pinyin: nǐ hǎo)

Why guess Mandarin Chinese pronunciation?

Mandarin is tonal: the same syllable carries different meanings depending on its tone, and the characters give no phonetic clue at all. Even Pinyin spellings map to IPA in non-obvious ways for the retroflex and aspirated sounds.

Mandarin has four main tones plus a neutral tone; tone is part of the word, not optional intonation.
Characters encode meaning, not sound — Pinyin or IPA is required to read pronunciation.
Retroflex initials (zh, ch, sh, r) are produced with the tongue curled back.
Aspiration distinguishes pairs like b/p and d/t, which are not voiced/voiceless as in English.

From Mandarin Chinese text to IPA in seconds

1

Select the text

Highlight Mandarin Chinese text anywhere — a PDF, a browser, a subtitle, a chat. Or paste it into the free web converter.

2

Press Alt+Q

IPAtics detects the language automatically and shows the IPA in a floating overlay, right where you are reading.

3

Hear it, save it, study it

Play native audio, tap any symbol to learn it, save the word, and generate Anki cards — all in one place.

Keep reading

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Frequently asked questions

Transcribe Mandarin Chinese the fast way

Install IPAtics to get IPA on any Mandarin Chinese text in any app — with audio, saved words, and Anki cards.

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