CHINESE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Pronunciation & Pinyin

Tones, pinyin and pronunciation tips — the starting point of learning Chinese.

PRONUNCIATION & HSK

Does pronunciation count on the HSK?

The HSK scores listening, reading, and (from level 3) writing—it never grades you speaking aloud. So pronunciation is not tested directly. It still earns its place in an HSK plan, for three reasons.

  1. It carries your listening scoreListening is a large share of every HSK level. You pick out tones and sounds most reliably when you can produce them yourself, so pronunciation practice quietly lifts the section that weighs the most.
  2. Words stick as soundOnce you can turn pinyin into a real syllable, new vocabulary is stored as sound, not just shape. The words the HSK does test then come faster and fade slower.
  3. It is the exam after the examSpeaking is graded directly on the HSKK, the separate HSK speaking test, and it is what makes your Chinese usable once the written HSK is behind you.