How to type Chinese with pinyin

You do not need a special keyboard to type Chinese. You type the sounds in the Latin alphabet (pinyin), and your device offers the characters that match. Here is how it works and how to get fast at it.

By the OnlyTyping team · Updated 3 October 2026

How pinyin input works

A Chinese input method (IME) turns letters into characters. You type the pinyin of a word, a short list of matching characters appears, and you press space (or a number key) to pick one. To write 你好 you type nihao and press space.

• No spaces inside a word. Type nihao, not ni hao. The input method needs the whole word to guess well.
• Tones are usually not typed. The list is ranked by what people write most, so tone marks only matter when you are learning.
• Type whole words, not single syllables. Common words and phrases come up first, which is why advanced typists are fast.

How to type ü

There is no ü key, so input methods use v. 女 (nǚ) is typed nv and 绿 (lǜ) is lv. After j, q, x and y the u is already written without dots, so 去 (qù) is simply qu.

Turn on a Chinese keyboard

• Windows: Settings, Time & language, Language & region, add Chinese (Simplified) and keep the Microsoft Pinyin keyboard. Switch with Windows key + Space.
• Mac: System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, add Pinyin - Simplified. Switch with Control + Space or the globe key.
• iPhone: Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, add Chinese, Simplified, then choose Pinyin - QWERTY.
• Android: in Gboard, Languages, add Chinese (Simplified) with the Pinyin layout.

Menu names change between versions, so search your settings for "keyboard" and "Chinese" if one of these has moved.

What to practise first

1. Spell words from characters. See 谢谢, type xiexie. This is the core skill and it is what the HSK 1 decks drill.
2. Type without the pinyin shown. Recalling nihao from 你好 is real vocabulary practice, not copying.
3. Add the tones. Typing ni3hao3 trains your ear for tones even though a normal keyboard will not ask for them.
4. Then pick characters in a real IME. Once the spelling is automatic, choosing among homophones is a matter of reading.

A ten-minute daily routine

• Minutes 1 to 3: review yesterday's weak words.
• Minutes 4 to 8: one new deck, characters visible.
• Minutes 9 to 10: the same deck with the pinyin hidden.

Short and daily beats long and rare. A word you typed cleanly three days in a row is much more likely to stay.