Bo · po · mo · fo
A sound alphabet,
not Romanization
Zhuyin Fuhao (注音符號), commonly called Bopomofo after its first four symbols, is the phonetic script taught in Taiwan. Unlike Pinyin, its shapes do not borrow expectations from English spelling.
A syllable is assembled from up to three sound symbols and a tone mark. Read left to right in horizontal text: ㄋ + ㄧ + ˇ = ㄋㄧˇ (nǐ).
Initials
21 consonant openings
ㄅ/b—unaspirated b
Finals
13 vowel endings
ㄚ/a—open a
Medials
3 glide vowels that combine with finals
ㄧ/i / y—high front vowel
Try it · 組一組
Build a syllable
Zhuyin follows the sound itself: choose an opening consonant, add the vowel sound, then mark the tone.
ㄋㄧˇ
Initial + final + low tone
1 · Initial
2 · Final
3 · Tone
From symbols to Mandarin
nǐ
you
hǎo
good
tái
platform; Taiwan
xué
to study
zhōng
middle
wén
language; writing
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ㄅ
Choose its Pinyin equivalent
One character.
Sometimes many readings.
Look up a character to see how its pronunciation changes inside real words from our dictionary.