1 What's Your Name?
小婷：「你好！你叫什麼？」約翰：「我叫約翰。你叫什麼？」小婷：「我叫小婷。」約翰：「你好，小婷！」
Xiaoting: Hello! What's your name? John: My name is John. What's your name? Xiaoting: My name is Xiaoting. John: Hello, Xiaoting!
Zhuyin Reading Practice: 15 Free Stories with Bopomofo Beside Every Character
Zhuyin reading practice means reading real Chinese sentences in Traditional characters with the zhuyin (注音, also called bopomofo) for each character printed in a narrow column to its right. That is how Taiwanese children learn to read: first graders typically spend their first weeks of school on zhuyin alone, and their textbooks and storybooks keep it beside the characters for years after.
Below are 15 free graded stories (1,274 characters in all) laid out exactly that way, from five-line beginner dialogues to HSK 3 fables. Read each story aloud with the zhuyin showing, then switch the zhuyin off and read it again. The columns keep their space when hidden, so nothing moves and you can check any character by switching it back on.
Key takeaways
- Every character carries its own zhuyin, split syllable by syllable from the Literate Chinese dictionary, with the tone mark beside the stack and the neutral-tone dot on top.
- 一 and 不 show the tone you actually say (一個 ㄧˊ, 不對 ㄅㄨˊ), as Taiwanese books print them.
- Tap any sentence for its English translation, or turn English on for the whole story.
- Turn zhuyin off to test yourself without the text shifting.
- Stories use Taiwan wording where it differs from the Mainland (計程車 for taxi).
How do you practice reading with zhuyin?
Read the same short story three ways. Each pass leans on the zhuyin a little less, which is exactly how the support fades for Taiwanese children.
- Read aloud with zhuyin on. Sound out every column, tone mark included. Go slowly; accuracy first.
- Check the meaning. Tap a sentence to see its translation, or switch English on for the story.
- Hide the zhuyin and read again. When you stall on a character, switch zhuyin back on, find it, and say the line again.
- Move up a band once you can read a story with zhuyin off and stumble on fewer than one character per line.
New to the symbols? Learn them first with the zhuyin table and the bopomofo flashcards; most learners can sound out every column here after a day or two of practice.
Which zhuyin stories are on this page?
Fifteen stories in three bands. "Characters" counts every character you read, repeats included; "unique" is how many different characters you will sound out, and "words" counts different dictionary words.
| # | Story | Band | Characters | Unique | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What's Your Name? | Beginner | 30 | 10 | 7 |
| 2 | I Am John | Beginner | 28 | 13 | 10 |
| 3 | I Love Dogs | Beginner | 29 | 13 | 11 |
| 4 | How Old Are You? | Beginner | 35 | 17 | 13 |
| 5 | This Is My Mom | Beginner | 44 | 19 | 13 |
| 6 | The Kitten and the Puppy | HSK 1–2 | 54 | 26 | 20 |
| 7 | The Little Bird | HSK 1–2 | 68 | 36 | 32 |
| 8 | Everyone Can Do Something (Part 1) | HSK 1–2 | 79 | 39 | 31 |
| 9 | A Walk on a New Street (Part 1) | HSK 1–2 | 119 | 69 | 51 |
| 10 | The Frog in the Well | HSK 1–2 | 127 | 62 | 54 |
| 11 | The Boy Who Cried Wolf | HSK 3 | 133 | 63 | 54 |
| 12 | Lord Ye and the Dragon | HSK 3 | 129 | 67 | 59 |
| 13 | The Nian Monster | HSK 3 | 130 | 85 | 67 |
| 14 | The Great Race | HSK 3 | 162 | 94 | 81 |
| 15 | Taking a Taxi (Part 1) | HSK 3 | 107 | 60 | 53 |
Beginner stories with zhuyin: your first words
Five tiny dialogues between John and Xiaoting, each under 50 characters. They reuse the same handful of characters (你、我、是、叫、好), so by the fifth story you are reading zhuyin you have already met several times.
2 I Am John
小婷：「約翰？是你嗎？」約翰：「是的，是我！」
Xiaoting: "John? Is that you?" John: "Yes, it's me!"
小婷：「我叫什麼？」約翰：「你是……小婷！」小婷：「好！」
Xiaoting: "Okay. What's my name?" John: "You're, um, Xiaoting!" Good!
3 I Love Dogs
約翰：你好，小婷！你喜歡狗嗎？
John: Hello, Xiaoting! Do you like dogs?
小婷：你好，約翰！我愛狗。
Xiaoting: Hello, John! I love dogs.
約翰：我愛狗！
John: I love dogs!
小婷：很好！
Xiaoting: Great!
4 How Old Are You?
小婷：約翰，你幾歲？
Xiaoting: John, how old are you?
約翰：我二十歲。你呢？
John: I'm twenty. And you?
小婷：我比你大。
Xiaoting: I'm older than you.
約翰：你是老師嗎？
John: Are you a teacher?
小婷：是，我是老師。
Xiaoting: Yes, I'm a teacher.
5 This Is My Mom
小婷：約翰，這是我媽媽。
Xiaoting: John, this is my mom.
約翰：您好！
John: Hello!
媽媽：你好，約翰！
Mom: Hello, John!
小婷：我媽媽是老師。
Xiaoting: My mom is a teacher.
約翰：我媽媽也是老師！
John: My mom is a teacher too!
小婷：真的嗎？太好了！
Xiaoting: Really? How nice!
HSK 1–2 stories with zhuyin
Short animal stories, a family story and a first idiom tale. Expect around 50 to 130 characters per story and plenty of 一 and 不, which is where the tone-change rule below starts to matter.
6 The Kitten and the Puppy
這是小貓。這是小狗。
This is the kitten. This is the puppy.
小貓很小，很漂亮。小狗也不大，很可愛。
The kitten is very small and very pretty. The puppy is small too, and very cute.
小貓喜歡睡覺。小狗喜歡玩。
The kitten likes to sleep. The puppy likes to play.
小貓看小狗，小狗也看小貓。牠們想：「我們是朋友嗎？」
The kitten looks at the puppy, and the puppy also looks at the kitten. They think: "Are we friends?"
7 The Little Bird
早上，一隻小鳥來到院子裡。小貓看著牠，小狗也看著牠。
In the morning, a little bird came to the yard. The kitten watched it, and the puppy watched it too.
小鳥唱歌，很好聽。小狗說：「你好，小鳥！」
The bird sang, and it sounded lovely. The puppy said, "Hello, little bird!"
小鳥不怕，唱了一首歌。然後牠飛上了天。
The bird wasn't afraid and sang a song. Then it flew up into the sky.
小貓說：「明天你還來嗎？」
The kitten said, "Will you come again tomorrow?"
小鳥在天上說：「來！」
From the sky, the bird called, "I will!"
8 Everyone Can Do Something (Part 1)
我問媽媽：「你會什麼？」
I asked Mom, "What can you do?"
媽媽說：「我會煮飯。」
Mom said, "I can cook."
爸爸說：「我會開車。」
Dad said, "I can drive."
哥哥說：「我會游泳。」
Big brother said, "I can swim."
姐姐說：「我會唱歌。」
Big sister said, "I can sing."
爺爺說：「我會寫漢字。」
Grandpa said, "I can write Chinese characters."
我不會煮飯，也不會開車。
I can't cook, and I can't drive.
可是我會畫畫！
But I can draw!
我畫了我的家人，大家都笑了。
I drew my whole family, and everyone laughed.
明年我想學游泳！
Next year I want to learn to swim!
9 A Walk on a New Street (Part 1)
星期六，天氣很好。
It's Saturday, and the weather is lovely.
約翰：我們帶米飯去散步吧！
John: Let's take Mifan for a walk!
小婷：好！走一條新的路！
Xiaoting: Yes! Let's take a new route!
他們走到一條安靜的街上。
They walk to a quiet street.
街上有一個小餐廳，很香！
On the street there's a little restaurant. It smells wonderful!
米飯跑到餐廳門口。
Mifan runs to the restaurant door.
門口有一隻白色的貓，叫小白！
At the door there's a white cat called Xiao Bai!
米飯看小白，小白看米飯。
Mifan looks at Xiao Bai, and Xiao Bai looks at Mifan.
小婷：米飯，你們要做好朋友！
Xiaoting: Mifan, you two should be good friends!
米飯搖了搖尾巴。
Mifan wags his tail.
一個女孩走出來，笑著說：「歡迎！」
A girl comes out and says with a smile: "Welcome!"
約翰：我們在這裡吃午餐吧！
John: Let's have lunch here!
10 The Frog in the Well
一隻青蛙住在井裡。牠每天從井裡看天。牠說：「天只有一點點大。」
A frog lived in a well. Every day it looked at the sky from inside the well. It said, "The sky is only this big."
一隻小鳥飛來，落在井邊。小鳥說：「不對，天很大很大。」
A little bird flew over and landed at the edge of the well. The bird said, "That's not right. The sky is very, very big."
青蛙不相信，笑了起來。小鳥說：「你跳出來看看吧。」
The frog did not believe it and started to laugh. The bird said, "Jump out and take a look."
青蛙跳出井，看到了很大的天。牠說：「原來我知道的太少了！」
The frog jumped out of the well and saw the huge sky. It said, "So I knew far too little!"
這個成語是「井底之蛙」。意思是：一個人看到的很少，懂的也很少。例句：不要做井底之蛙，多出去看看吧！
This idiom is "a frog at the bottom of a well." It means: a person who has seen very little and understands very little. Example: Don't be a frog in a well. Go out and see more!
HSK 3 stories with zhuyin: fables, idioms and festivals
Classic fables and idiom stories every Taiwanese child knows, the legends behind Lunar New Year and the zodiac, and a taxi ride with real-life numbers. These run 100 to 160 characters.
11 The Boy Who Cried Wolf
從前，有個孩子在山上放羊。
Long ago, a boy watched sheep on a mountain.
他大叫：「狼來了！狼來了！」山下的人們跑上來幫他。
He shouted, "The wolf is coming! The wolf is coming!" The people below ran up to help him.
孩子笑著說：「沒有狼，我跟你們開玩笑呢！」
The boy laughed and said, "There's no wolf. I'm just joking with you!"
第二天，他又叫：「狼來了！」人們又跑上來，還是沒有狼。
The next day, he shouted again, "The wolf is coming!" The people ran up again, and there was still no wolf.
第三天，狼真的來了。孩子大叫，可是沒有人來。
On the third day, the wolf really came. The boy shouted, but no one came.
大家說：「他又在說謊吧。」狼吃了很多羊。
Everyone said, "He must be lying again." The wolf ate many sheep.
這個故事叫「狼來了」。意思是：說謊的人，說真話也沒人信。例句：不要總說謊，小心「狼來了」。
This story is called "The Wolf Is Coming." It means: when a liar tells the truth, no one believes him. Example: Don't lie all the time. Watch out, or no one will believe you when the wolf really comes.
12 Lord Ye and the Dragon
從前，有一個人叫葉公。他說他最喜歡龍。
Long ago, there was a man named Lord Ye. He said he loved dragons most of all.
他的衣服上畫著龍。他家的牆上、門上也都是龍。
There were dragons painted on his clothes. The walls and doors of his house were covered with dragons too.
天上的真龍聽說了，很高興。真龍飛下來，到葉公家看他。
A real dragon in the sky heard about this and was very happy. The real dragon flew down to Lord Ye's house to see him.
龍把頭伸進窗戶裡。葉公一看，嚇得大叫，跑走了。原來，他喜歡的不是真龍。
The dragon stuck its head in through the window. When Lord Ye saw it, he screamed in fear and ran away. It turned out that what he loved was not real dragons.
這個成語是「葉公好龍」。意思是：嘴上說喜歡，其實不是真的喜歡。例句：他說喜歡狗，見了狗就跑，真是葉公好龍。
This idiom is "Lord Ye loves dragons." It means: saying you love something when you don't really love it. Example: He says he likes dogs but runs when he sees one, just like Lord Ye and his dragons.
13 The Nian Monster
很久以前，有一隻怪獸，名字叫「年」。每年的最後一天，牠就來村子裡嚇人。人們很害怕，都躲到山上去。
Long, long ago, there was a monster named "Nian." On the last day of every year, it came to the village to frighten people. The people were terrified, and everyone hid in the mountains.
有一年，一位老人來到村子。他說：「別怕，年最怕紅色和很大的聲音。」人們在門上貼紅紙，還放鞭炮。
One year, an old man came to the village. He said, "Don't be afraid. Nian fears red and loud noises most of all." The people pasted red paper on their doors and set off firecrackers.
「砰！砰！」年嚇得跑走了，再也不敢來了。
"Bang! Bang!" Nian fled in terror and never dared to come again.
從那天起，過年時人們都穿紅衣服、貼春聯、放鞭炮。大家見面說：「新年快樂！」這就是中國新年的故事。
From that day on, at New Year people wear red, paste spring couplets, and set off firecrackers. When people meet, they say, "Happy New Year!" And that is the story of Chinese New Year.
14 The Great Race
很久以前，玉皇大帝說：「我要選十二隻動物，給每一年一個名字。」
Long ago, the Jade Emperor said, "I will choose twelve animals, and give each year a name."
他說：「明天早上過河，誰先到，誰就是第一。」
He said, "Tomorrow morning, cross the river. Whoever arrives first will be first."
老鼠很聰明，牠跳到牛的背上。牛游得最快，快到的時候，老鼠跳了下來，得了第一。牛是第二，老虎是第三，兔子是第四。龍會飛，但牠停下來幫別人，所以是第五。
The rat was clever: it jumped onto the ox's back. The ox swam fastest, and just before the shore, the rat jumped down and took first place. The ox was second, the tiger third, and the rabbit fourth. The dragon could fly, but it stopped to help others, so it came fifth.
蛇、馬、羊、猴子、雞、狗也一個一個到了。豬吃完飯才慢慢來，所以是最後一個。
The snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, and dog arrived one after another. The pig only ambled over after finishing a meal, so it came last.
從那時起，每一年都有一隻動物的名字。你是哪一年生的？你的生肖是什麼？
From then on, every year carries an animal's name. Which year were you born in? What's your zodiac animal?
15 Taking a Taxi (Part 1)
李明要去火車站，時間不多了。他在路邊叫了一輛計程車。「您好，去火車站。」
Li Ming needed to get to the train station, and time was short. He hailed a taxi at the roadside. "Hello. To the train station, please."
司機問：「走大路還是走小路？」
The driver asked, "Main road or side streets?"
「哪個快走哪個，我是十點的火車。」路上有點堵，司機換了一條路。
"Whichever is faster. My train is at ten." Traffic was a bit heavy, so the driver switched routes.
李明問：「大概要多少錢？」
Li Ming asked, "About how much will it be?"
司機說：「三十塊左右。」到了火車站，一共二十八塊。李明付了錢，說了聲謝謝，跑向車站。
The driver said, "Around thirty yuan." At the station, the total was twenty-eight yuan. Li Ming paid, called out his thanks, and ran for the station.
How do you read zhuyin printed beside characters?
Read each column top to bottom, then add the tone. A zhuyin syllable has one to three symbols in a fixed order: initial consonant, then a medial (ㄧ, ㄨ or ㄩ), then the final. In horizontal text the column sits to the right of its character, and the tone mark sits beside the column.
學校
學 is ㄒ + ㄩ + ㄝ with a rising tone (xué); 校 is ㄒ + ㄧ + ㄠ with a falling tone (xiào).
| Tone | Zhuyin mark | Where it sits | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (high, level) | none | no mark at all | mā |
| 2nd (rising) | ˊ | beside the last two symbols | má |
| 3rd (low, dipping) | ˇ | beside the last two symbols | mǎ |
| 4th (falling) | ˋ | beside the last two symbols | mà |
| Neutral (light) | ˙ | a dot on top of the column | ma |
媽麻馬罵嗎
The one surprise for pinyin readers: the first tone has no mark, and the neutral tone does. When a syllable has a single symbol, as in 五 (ㄨˇ), the mark sits beside that one symbol.
Why do 一 and 不 change tone?
Because that is how they are spoken, and Taiwanese books print the spoken tone. 一 (yī) becomes 2nd tone before a 4th or neutral tone and 4th tone before tones 1 to 3; 不 (bù) becomes 2nd tone before a 4th tone. 一 keeps its first tone when counting, at the end of a phrase, and in ordinals like 第一.
一隻、一個、不對
For the full chart of all 37 symbols with pinyin equivalents and example words, see the zhuyin table.
Frequently asked questions
Is zhuyin or pinyin better for reading practice?
Both write the same sounds, so either works as a reading aid. Zhuyin has two practical advantages: it is what Taiwanese books, dictionaries and keyboards use, and because it is not the Latin alphabet it does not pull your eye away from the characters or trigger English spelling habits. If you study Taiwan Mandarin or read Traditional characters, practice with zhuyin. Our zhuyin vs pinyin comparison goes deeper.
Do adult learners need zhuyin?
You do not need it to learn Mandarin, but it pays off if you live in or study about Taiwan, type on a Taiwanese keyboard, read children's books with your kids, or come from a family that learned with it. Adults who already know pinyin can usually learn all 37 symbols in a few days, because the sounds are already familiar.
Should I keep the zhuyin on or off?
Start each story with it on, then read again with it off. The goal is to need it less over time, not to read zhuyin instead of characters. If you can read a story with zhuyin off and only check a few characters, move up a band.
Where can I find more Traditional Chinese stories with zhuyin?
The Literate Chinese app (free on iOS and Android) shows zhuyin on all of its 1,000+ graded stories, including the book-style side zhuyin used on this page and fully vertical text. On the web, every story here continues on its own page in Traditional Chinese reading practice, where you can switch scripts and tap any word for its meaning.
