Pinyin The Keyboard

Open WhatsApp on your phone. Long press the globe key on your keyboard. Add a new language called Chinese, Simplified, Pinyin. Type m, then a. The keyboard offers you 妈, 麻, 马, 骂. Four characters, all spelled ma, but each one is a different word with a different tone. Mother, hemp, horse, scold. This is how every Chinese person under forty types Chinese on a phone. They type the sound, then pick the character. You will too, by the end of this lesson.

Now the four tones. Say the syllable ma four ways. First tone, high and flat, like a long held note: mā, mother. Second tone, rising as if you are asking a question: má, hemp. Third tone, dipping down then up, like the dip in your eyebrows when confused: mǎ, horse. Fourth tone, sharp and falling, like a soldier's order: mà, scold. Same letters. Four meanings. The tone is not decoration. The tone is the word.

Practice block. Read these aloud, twice each, paying attention to the tone marks. Nǐ hǎo, hello. Xiè xie, thank you. Bù kè qi, you are welcome. Duì bu qǐ, sorry. Méi guān xi, no problem. Wǒ shì Bā jī sī tǎn rén, I am Pakistani. Each of these you will hear in any hotel lobby in Islamabad's blue zone. Each one earns you a smile and a slightly better price.

Phone setup, step by step. iPhone: Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, Add New Keyboard, Chinese Simplified, Pinyin QWERTY. Android: Settings, System, Languages and Input, Add a Keyboard, Chinese, Pinyin. Once added, the globe key on your typing pad cycles through Urdu, English, and Pinyin. Type any pinyin syllable, the keyboard predicts characters. Pick the one that matches the tone you meant. The phone is now your tutor.