🇨🇳 CHINESE · HSK 1–2

Chinese – Batch 03

口 · 手 · 目 · 耳 · 心 · Reading · Listening · Writing

What is Pinyin? Pinyin is the official romanisation system for Mandarin Chinese. Every syllable has a tone — the same syllable said in a different tone is a completely different word. There are four tones plus a neutral tone:
1st (ā) — high & level | 2nd (á) — rising, like a question | 3rd (ǎ) — dip then rise | 4th (à) — sharp fall | Neutral (a) — light, unstressed
In exercises you may type tone marks (rén) or tone numbers (ren2) — both are accepted.

📖 Pinyin Quick Reference — Batch 03

kou3 → kǒu

shou3 → shǒu

mu4 → mù

er3 → ěr

xin1 → xīn

🔊 Hear all 5 tones — same syllable "er", five different meanings:

ēr Tone 1 — (gap) No standard word — 'er' skips tone 1 in Mandarin

ér Tone 2 — rising 而 · but/yet / 儿 · child

ěr Tone 3 — dip-rise ★ 耳 · ear

èr Tone 4 — falling 二 · two

zhèer Neutral — suffix 这儿 · here

★ = used in this batch | 💡 Not all syllables fill every tone slot — "ēr" (tone 1) simply does not exist as a standard Mandarin word. This is normal!

Tone	ā / a	ē / e	ī / i	ū / u	ǖ / ü
1st — level	ā	ē	ī	ū	ǖ
2nd — rising	á	é	í	ú	ǘ
3rd — dip-rise	ǎ	ě	ǐ	ǔ	ǚ
4th — falling	à	è	ì	ù	ǜ
Neutral	a	e	i	u	ü

💡 On most keyboards, tone marks are hard to type — use the number form (kou3, er3) in exercises. Both are always accepted.

Progress: 0 / 4 exercises completed

Exercise A — Flashcard Practice

Click a card to flip it and reveal pinyin, meaning, and stroke info. Use the audio button to hear the pronunciation.

口

HSK 1

Tap to flip

kǒu

mouth

3 strokes

1 / 8

Exercise B — Listen & Identify

Press the audio button to hear a character or compound, then choose the correct one.

Exercise C — Meaning Match

Look at the character or compound word and select its correct English meaning.

Exercise D — Reading in Context

The pinyin for each sentence is shown with one word missing. Type the missing pinyin (tone marks or tone numbers accepted), then hear the full sentence and repeat it aloud.

💡 Tip: type tone numbers if marks are hard — e.g. kou3 or kǒu are both accepted.

Exercise E — Stroke Count

How many strokes does each character take to write? Use the tip to trace the character in your mind, then type your answer.

口 kǒu — mouth

Pictograph: 口 is a direct picture of an open mouth — a simple rectangle representing the opening between the lips. It is one of the most common radicals in Chinese; hundreds of characters related to speaking, eating, or sound use 口 as a component.
⚠️ Confusable: 口 (mouth, 3 strokes) vs 日 (sun/day, Batch 01, 4 strokes) — 日 is taller and has an inner horizontal line dividing it; 口 is a plain, empty box.

🎵 kǒu — 3rd tone (上声 shǎngshēng): dip then rise, like saying "hmm?" with scepticism. Start low, dip lower, then let it bounce back up.

口kǒumouth; opening
人口rénkǒupopulation (lit. "people-mouths")
出口chūkǒuexit; to export

Tā de kǒu hěn xiǎo.

他的口很小。

His mouth is very small.

Zhōngguó rénkǒu hěn duō.

中国人口很多。

China's population is very large.

手 shǒu — hand

Pictograph: 手 is a stylised picture of a hand with outstretched fingers. The three roughly horizontal strokes represent fingers, and the downward stroke running through them represents the palm. As a radical, 手 (or its compressed form 扌) appears in characters related to actions done with the hand — pushing, pulling, holding, throwing.

🎵 shǒu — 3rd tone (上声 shǎngshēng): dip then rise. Both 口 and 手 share the 3rd tone — notice the family resemblance!

手shǒuhand
手机shǒujīmobile phone (lit. "hand machine")
手心shǒuxīnpalm of the hand (lit. "hand-heart")

Wǒ yòng shǒu xiě zì.

我用手写字。

I write characters with my hand.

Tā de shǒujī hěn xīn.

他的手机很新。

His mobile phone is very new.

目 mù — eye / vision

Pictograph: 目 is a rotated picture of an eye — the tall rectangle represents the eye socket, and the two inner horizontal lines represent the iris and pupil. In modern Chinese, 眼睛 (yǎnjing) is the everyday word for "eye", but 目 appears in formal writing and dozens of common compounds (题目, 目的, 注目).
⚠️ Confusable: 目 (eye, 5 strokes) vs 日 (sun, Batch 01, 4 strokes) — 目 is taller and has two inner horizontal lines; 日 has only one.

🎵 mù — 4th tone (去声 qùshēng): sharp falling tone, like snapping a command or exclaiming "No!" The pitch drops decisively from high to low.

目mùeye; vision (literary)
题目tímùtitle; topic; question
心目xīnmùmind's eye; in one's heart and eyes

Tí mù shì shénme?

题目是什么？

What is the title / topic?

Tā zài wǒ xīnmù zhōng hěn zhòngyào.

他在我心目中很重要。

He is very important in my mind's eye.

耳 ěr — ear

Pictograph: 耳 is a stylised drawing of an ear viewed from the front. The stacked horizontal bars suggest the curved folds of the outer ear, while the vertical stroke on the right represents the edge of the earlobe. It appears as a radical in characters related to hearing (聆, 聽/听).

🎵 ěr — 3rd tone (上声 shǎngshēng): dip then rise. Also: 而 (ér, tone 2 = "but"), 二 (èr, tone 4 = "two"). Notice that tone 1 "ēr" does not exist in standard Mandarin — a useful reminder that not every syllable fills all four tone slots!

耳ěrear
木耳mù'ěrwood ear mushroom (a common ingredient)
耳目ěrmùeyes and ears; informant; observer

Tā de ěr hěn língmǐn.

他的耳很灵敏。

His hearing is very sharp.

Wǒ xǐhuān chī mù'ěr.

我喜欢吃木耳。

I like to eat wood ear mushrooms.

心 xīn — heart / mind

Pictograph: 心 is a pictograph of the heart. The gentle curved stroke represents the rounded body of the heart, and the three dots represent its chambers or the blood pulsing through it. As a radical, 心 (or its compressed form 忄) appears in characters related to emotions, thoughts, and feelings (想, 爱, 忙, 快).

🎵 xīn — 1st tone (阴平 yīnpíng): high and level, like holding a sustained musical note. Keep your pitch steady from start to finish — no movement up or down.

心xīnheart; mind
好心hǎoxīngood intentions; kind-hearted
手心shǒuxīnpalm of the hand (lit. "hand-heart")

Tā yǒu hǎo xīn.

他有好心。

He has a good heart / good intentions.

Tā de shǒuxīn hěn ruǎn.

她的手心很软。

Her palm is very soft.

Tone System

Tone	Mark	Number	Chinese name	Description	Batch example
1st	ā	1	阴平 yīnpíng	High & level	xīn (心 heart)
2nd	á	2	阳平 yángpíng	Rising, like a question	ér (而 but)
3rd	ǎ	3	上声 shǎngshēng	Dip then rise	kǒu (口 mouth) · shǒu (手 hand) · ěr (耳 ear)
4th	à	4	去声 qùshēng	Sharp falling	mù (目 eye)
Neutral	·a	—	轻声 qīngshēng	Light, unstressed	·er suffix (这儿 here)

Stroke Order Principles

Top before bottom
Left before right
Horizontal before vertical (when crossing)
Left-falling strokes before right-falling strokes
Centre before sides (for symmetric characters)
Enclosures: draw the frame first, fill inside, then close the bottom
Minor strokes (dots, hooks) last
Each unbroken line — no matter its direction — counts as one stroke

Batch 03 Summary

Character	Pinyin	Meaning	Strokes	HSK
口	kǒu	mouth	3	HSK 1
手	shǒu	hand	4	HSK 1
目	mù	eye / vision	5	HSK 2
耳	ěr	ear	6	HSK 1
心	xīn	heart / mind	4	HSK 2

Pinyin Typing Guide

In all exercises, both forms are accepted:
• Tone marks: kǒu, shǒu, mù, ěr, xīn
• Tone numbers: kou3, shou3, mu4, er3, xin1
Use whichever is easier to type on your device.

🔊 Audio pronunciation powered by the Web Speech API (built into your browser, no external service).
For a comprehensive pinyin reference, visit Yabla Chinese Pinyin Chart.
Stroke order practice: Skritter · Character lookup: MDBG Dictionary.