Text / Cantonese
Cantonese Jyutping Converter: Yale, Ruby and Readings
Add Cantonese readings to Simplified or Traditional Chinese. Choose Jyutping numbers, Yale tone marks, ruby HTML or characters with readings in brackets.
Cantonese Jyutping Converter: Yale, Ruby and Readings: Matches the longest dictionary word first, then uses the highest-weight character reading. OpenCC converts Simplified input to Traditional for lookup while retaining your original characters. Dictionary weights are shown as recorded, with omitted weights treated as 100%; they are not probabilities. Your choices apply to every output. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Text tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
The reading data loads on your first conversion. Your text stays in this browser.
Words use the longest dictionary match; other characters use their highest-weight reading. Check names and context-dependent readings. Original characters, punctuation and Latin text are preserved. Yale uses the high-level form for tone 1; rare finals without a standard Yale spelling keep Jyutping numbers.
Readings: rime-cantonese (CanCLID), CC BY 4.0 · Licence
Data version: 2026.08.10 / 259f0e48bba8. Converted to compact JSON with redundant phrases removed.
Reading data and licence
Readings: rime-cantonese (CanCLID), CC BY 4.0. Chars and words version 2026.08.10, upstream commit 259f0e48bba8; snapshot 2026-10-04. The phrase file is version 2021.09.05. Upstream: https://github.com/CanCLID/rime-cantonese ; licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Changes: compact JSON, one reading per word, unannotated phrases and unaligned or non-Han records removed. Character alternatives and explicit weights are retained. The ODbL jyut6ping3.maps file is not used.
Yale spelling and tone conventions
The initial and final correspondences follow Unicode's Cantonese romanisation comparison table: https://unicode.org/review/pr-31.html . The printed aan row has an apparent typo; this tool uses Yale aan. Low-tone h placement and tone examples are cross-checked against PyCantonese: https://docs.pycantonese.org/v4.3.0/jyutping.html . Yale merges distinctions in a few finals and does not supply a standard spelling for every marginal Jyutping final.
How to use it
- Enter Chinese text and choose Convert to load the reading data.
- Click a character in the preview to choose an alternative reading.
- Choose an output format and copy the result.
Privacy & limitations
Your text stays in your browser. Reading data is fetched from this site on the first conversion; no text is uploaded.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Does it accept Simplified Chinese?
Yes. OpenCC supplies Traditional lookup characters while the preview, brackets and ruby retain your original text. Check ambiguous Simplified forms, names and rare words.
What happens to punctuation and Latin text?
They remain unchanged. Characters missing from the data also remain unchanged. Ruby HTML escapes characters that have a special meaning in HTML.
How are multiple readings chosen?
The longest word entry supplies context. Otherwise the highest character weight wins, with source order breaking ties. Click a character to choose another reading. Re-converting resets your choices.
Which Yale tones are used?
Tone 1 uses a macron for the high-level tone. Low tones 4, 5 and 6 include h after the nucleus and before any consonant coda. Marginal finals absent from standard Yale remain numbered Jyutping.
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