pinyin

noun, often capitalized
pin·​yin | \ ˈpin-ˈyin How to pronounce pinyin (audio) \

Definition of pinyin

: a system for romanizing Chinese ideograms in which tones are indicated by diacritics and unaspirated consonants are transcribed as voiced — compare wade-giles

First Known Use of pinyin

1963, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for pinyin

Chinese (Beijing) pīnyīn to spell phonetically, from pīn to arrange + yīn sound, pronunciation

Keep scrolling for more