Chinese characters with more than one pinyin reading
Many common characters have two or more readings in Mandarin, and the right one depends on the word. Examples are 行 (xíng / háng), 长 (cháng / zhǎng), 了 (le / liǎo) and 重 (zhòng / chóng). A converter that reads whole words picks the reading from context.
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What polyphonic characters are
A polyphonic character (多音字) is one character with more than one reading. The meaning usually changes with the reading, so the pinyin carries real information. Look at 行:
The first 行 is read yín háng (as in bank), the second xíng zǒu (as in walk).
Common examples
| Character | Reading and meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 行 | háng: row, trade; xíng: to walk, OK | yín háng / xíng zǒu |
| 长 | cháng: long; zhǎng: to grow, elder | cháng chéng / zhǎng dà |
| 重 | zhòng: heavy, important; chóng: again | zhòng yào / chóng fù |
| 了 | le: particle; liǎo: to finish | hǎo le / liǎo jiě |
| 好 | hǎo: good; hào: to like | hǎo rén / ài hào |
How a converter decides
The converter does not read character by character. It looks at the surrounding word and sentence, so 长 in 长城 and in 长大 gets different readings. This works for most everyday text. It is less reliable for:
- personal names and place names, where the usual rules do not apply;
- rare words and classical Chinese;
- short fragments with no context, such as a single character.
When it matters, check a dictionary entry for the word, not just the character.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does the same character sound different?
Mandarin characters often stand for several words that share a written form but not a sound. Context tells you which word it is.
How many characters are polyphonic?
A fair number of the most frequent ones. You meet them quickly as a learner.
Will a converter always get it right?
No. It is usually right for common words and can be wrong for names and unusual words.
What about the neutral tone?
Some words change tone or lose it in speech, for example the particle 了. The pinyin shows the standard reading of the word.
Try it on your own text
Paste Chinese into the converter, or add the extension to see pinyin above characters on any page.