Chinese Pinyin Subtitles

This tool is server-side — your file is sent over HTTPS, pinyin is added, the result is returned to you, and the file is discarded. Nothing is stored.

The Problem

Mandarin Chinese is written in characters (汉字) that give no pronunciation information on their own. A language learner watching Chinese content may understand the spoken dialog but be unable to connect the sounds to the characters on screen.

Pinyin (拼音) is the official romanization system for Mandarin. It writes Chinese syllables using Latin letters with tone marks: nǐ hǎo for 你好. Adding a pinyin line above each subtitle cue makes Chinese media accessible to learners at every level.

How to Use It

Step 1 — Prepare your file

Your .srt file must contain Chinese characters and be encoded in UTF-8. If the file shows garbled text, run it through Convert to UTF-8 first.

Step 2 — Upload and choose a style

Drag the file onto the upload zone. Select your pinyin style:

Style	Example	Best for
With tone marks	nǐ hǎo	Learners who know the tone system
Without tone marks	ni hao	Beginners, or players that can't render diacritics

Step 3 — Add pinyin and download

Click Add Pinyin. The server processes the file (1–3 seconds for a full film). The enhanced SRT downloads automatically.

What the Output Looks Like

Input:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
你好，欢迎来到这里。

Output with tone marks:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
nǐ hǎo ， huān yíng lái dào zhè lǐ 。
你好，欢迎来到这里。

Important Considerations

• Polyphonic characters — some Chinese characters have multiple pronunciations depending on context (e.g. 中 can be zhōng or zhòng). The tool uses the most common reading. Occasional misreadings are expected.
• Font support — tone-marked pinyin characters like ǎ, ǐ, ǒ require a Unicode-capable font. If your player shows boxes, switch to the no-tone marks style.
• UTF-8 required — the file must be UTF-8 for the server to process Chinese characters correctly.

Use Cases

• Language learners watching Mandarin films and dramas with built-in pronunciation guidance
• HSK exam preparation using authentic media as study material
• Teachers creating classroom materials with pronunciation support
• Heritage speakers building their character-reading skills