Index of Chinese Phonology Tables
Compiled by James Campbell

Here is a list of the dialects on this website that have phonology charts. These charts differ from traditional IPA phonology tables for other world languages for several reasons. These tables not only list the individual phonemes of each dialect, but also each specific syllable possible, disregarding tones. All Chinese dialects have a very strict syllable structure made up of onsets and rhymes. In most cases a limited number of rhymes may accompany each onset consonant. For example palatal onsets in Mandarin dialects are almost always followed by high, front vowels. So in addition to phonemes, these tables reveal a lot of extra information about the syllabic structure and total possible syllables in each dialect. These tables are also crucial for the development of romanizations.

In addition to the IPA phonemes listed in these tables, as time permits I am also adding voice recordings of each syllable. This is a large undertaking since each dialect has hundreds of syllables. I am recording each syllable in a flat tone to limit the number of recordings required. The recordings are based purely on the IPA transcriptions and are not native voice recordings. In the very least this allows you the opportunity to hear a close approximation to the local pronunciation. Click on the syllables you would like to hear and it should play without having to open other software or windows. All recordings are in MP3 format, so you should be able to hear it if you have installed an MP3 plug-in.