How the trainer works
Zhuyin, also called bopomofo, is the 37-sign sound alphabet every child in Taiwan learns before characters. The trainer teaches it the way Taiwanese schools do: by sound, a few signs at a time, in groups made in the same part of the mouth.
- Pick a group. Start with the lips, ㄅ ㄆ ㄇ ㄈ. Open "Hear the signs" and tap each one to hear Lin say it.
- Practise both ways. "Hear it" plays a sign and you find it among four. "See it" shows a sign and you pick its sound, written in pinyin letters, and Lin says it once you've answered.
- Come back tomorrow. Signs you get right come back after one day, then two, four and a week; a sign you miss comes back in the same round. That spacing is what moves them into long-term memory.
A group's bar fills as its signs reach the third box, which means you've got each of them right on three different days. All seven groups full is the whole alphabet.
The seven groups
- Lips: ㄅ ㄆ ㄇ ㄈ (b, p, m, f)
- Tongue tip: ㄉ ㄊ ㄋ ㄌ (d, t, n, l)
- Back of the mouth: ㄍ ㄎ ㄏ (g, k, h)
- Front of the tongue: ㄐ ㄑ ㄒ (j, q, x)
- Curled and flat: ㄓ ㄔ ㄕ ㄖ ㄗ ㄘ ㄙ (zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s). In Taiwan the curled ones are often said softly, close to the flat ones.
- Simple finals and medials: ㄚ ㄛ ㄜ ㄝ ㄧ ㄨ ㄩ
- The rest of the finals: ㄞ ㄟ ㄠ ㄡ ㄢ ㄣ ㄤ ㄥ ㄦ
Want them on paper too? The printable zhuyin chart fits all 37 on one page, and the zhuyin chart with sounds has an everyday word for every sign.
In the Bopomo app each sign is a sticker you win by saying it out loud, and Lin brings it back right before you'd forget it. Join the waitlist.
Questions
Is zhuyin the same as bopomofo?
Yes. Bopomofo is a nickname made from the first four signs, ㄅ ㄆ ㄇ ㄈ (bo, po, mo, fo). The full name is zhuyin fuhao, 注音符號.
How long does it take to learn all 37 signs?
About a week of ten-minute sessions for most learners: one group a day, then a day of mixing them all. Reading real words in zhuyin is what makes them stick after that.
Why does ㄅ sound like "bo" and not just "b"?
A consonant can't be said on its own, so each initial is taught with a vowel after it: ㄅ is "bo", ㄉ is "de", ㄓ is "zhi". When you read a word, only the consonant part counts.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in this browser only, with no account. Clearing your browser's site data resets it, and a private window forgets it when it closes.
Whose voice is it?
Lin's: the tutor in the Bopomo app, with a Taiwan accent. Every sound here is a recording, never a computer voice.