This Chinese typing test with pinyin shows real Chinese words in Simplified characters, with the pinyin spelling under each word. You type the pinyin on a normal keyboard – the same letters you would type into a pinyin input method – so you practise the finger work behind everyday Chinese typing without installing anything. It is free, runs in your browser and needs no sign-up. In Chinese this is a 打字测试 (typing test) or 拼音打字练习 (pinyin typing practice). It is a typing test, not a Chinese writing test online: it scores how fast and accurately you type, not your handwriting or grammar.
Chinese typing methods
Chinese has thousands of characters, so nobody types it letter by letter. Instead you use an input method that turns a short key sequence into characters. The main Chinese typing methods are:
| Method | How it works | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Pinyin | Type the sound in Latin letters, pick the character | Mainland China, Singapore, most learners |
| Wubi | Type up to four keys for a character's shape parts | Some professional typists in mainland China |
| Zhuyin (Bopomofo) | Type the sound with Zhuyin symbols | Taiwan |
| Cangjie | Type a character's shape parts | Hong Kong |
| Handwriting and voice | Draw the character or speak | Phones |
Pinyin is by far the most common Chinese typing method, and it is the one this test trains. If you know the pronunciation, you can type the word.
How pinyin typing works
- Type the pinyin. For 中国 you type zhongguo. You do not type tones – the IME works out the likely characters from context.
- Choose. The IME shows a numbered list of candidates. Press Space for the first one or a number key for another.
- Keep going. Good IMEs learn your common words and even accept initials only, such as zg for 中国.
Step 1 is where speed is won or lost, so a pinyin typing test is the right way to measure it. Choosing characters mostly depends on reading, which improves as your Chinese does.
Pinyin spellings that trip people up
| Sound | Pinyin | Example |
|---|---|---|
| zh, ch, sh | two letters, one sound | 中 zhong, 吃 chi, 是 shi |
| x, q, j | not like English | 小 xiao, 去 qu, 家 jia |
| ü | usually v in an IME | 绿 lü → lv |
| -ng endings | easy to drop the g | 朋友 pengyou |
In this test, always type the exact letters printed under the word, without tones; ü is typed as v, just as in an IME. The characters are only there to read.
How to take the Chinese typing test online
When Chinese is selected, the keyboard option is Type pinyin (English letters). Turn off your Chinese IME, or switch it to English mode, before you start – otherwise your letters turn into characters and will not match. The on-screen keyboard shows ordinary QWERTY coloured by finger, and the animated hands show which finger presses the next letter.
All the usual types of typing test are here. You can take a timed test of 15 or 30 seconds, 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 minutes – a Chinese typing test of 5 minutes is a good middle length – or a fixed 10 to 100 words, or a paragraph of connected Chinese text. Word mode works as a Chinese word typing speed test; paragraph mode is closer to typing a real document. These examples of typing test formats all score the same way, so you can compare them. The characters are Simplified Chinese, shown in the Noto Sans SC font.
How your Chinese typing speed is measured
Your Chinese typing test WPM is worked out exactly like an English one. Because you type pinyin, the score counts the Latin letters you typed, which makes it comparable with your English result.
WPM = (correct characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes
Accuracy = correct keystrokes ÷ all keystrokes × 100
Example. In a 1-minute test you type 250 pinyin letters and spaces, and 240 are correct. Speed = 240 ÷ 5 ÷ 1 = 48 WPM, raw speed = 250 ÷ 5 = 50 WPM, CPM = 240, accuracy = 240 ÷ 250 = 96%.
Converting to Chinese characters per minute
Chinese typing speed is usually quoted in characters per minute (字/分钟). A pinyin syllable – one character – takes roughly three to four letters, so divide your CPM by about 3.5 for a rough figure: 240 CPM is about 70 Chinese characters per minute. With an IME you also press Space or a number to choose, and you can use abbreviations, so real-world speeds vary. As a rough guide, 40–60 characters per minute is a common everyday speed and 80+ is fast.
How to learn Chinese typing
- Touch type on QWERTY first. Pinyin uses every letter except v (which stands in for ü). The touch typing lessons teach the finger positions from the home row up.
- Practise the common chunks. Finals such as -ang, -eng, -ing, -ong, -ian, -uan appear everywhere. Drill them until they are one movement.
- Read one word ahead. You are reading characters and typing letters, so keep your eyes a little ahead of your fingers.
- Test daily, briefly. Two or three 1-minute tests a day and one 5-minute test a week is a solid Chinese typing test practice plan for beginners.
- Drill your mistakes. After each test, open the keys-to-practise list in typing practice.
- Play a pinyin typing game. The typing games can use Chinese words and pinyin too.
English typing practice for Chinese speakers (英文 打字练习)
Many Chinese speakers need English typing as much as pinyin – in Taiwan it is called 英打. Switch the language menu to English and the same site becomes English typing practice online (英文 打字练习 线上), with no download:
- Letters and key positions (英文字母 打字练习, 打字练习 位置): the typing lessons start on the home row and add two keys at a time, so you learn where every letter sits.
- Fingering (英文 打字练习 指法): the on-screen keyboard colours each key by the finger that should press it, and animated hands show the next move.
- Single words (英文单字 打字练习): word mode gives 10 to 100 common English words.
- Whole paragraphs (打字练习 英文文章): paragraph and quote modes give connected English text with capitals and punctuation.
- A one-minute check (打字练习 一分钟): the 1-minute test is the quickest way to see your English WPM.
Pinyin and English use the same QWERTY finger positions, so practice in one language carries over to the other.
How to type pinyin with tone marks
Sometimes you need to write pinyin itself, with tone marks, for homework or teaching. A pinyin IME will not do that, so use one of these:
- Mac: add the "ABC – Extended" keyboard. Then Option+a adds the first tone (ā), Option+e the second (á), Option+v the third (ǎ) and Option+` the fourth (à) to the next vowel you type.
- How to type pinyin in Word (Windows): use Insert → Symbol and pick the vowels with marks from the Latin Extended set, or select Chinese text and use the Phonetic Guide button on the Home tab to show pinyin above the characters (it appears when an East Asian language is enabled in Office).
- Write pinyin online: many free online pinyin editors let you type tone numbers (ma3) and convert them to marks (mǎ).
Does Google have a typing test?
No. Google Input Tools offers pinyin input online, which is handy for typing Chinese on a computer without installing an IME, but it does not time you or score you. For a pinyin typing speed test, use this page. If a job asks for an English and Chinese typing test, run the English typing test and compare – both results are stored separately in your browser.