In the present study the morphology and ciliary pattern of three marine tintinnid ciliates, namely Tintinnopsis tocantinensis Kofoid and Campbell, 1929, Tintinnopsis radix (Imhof, 1886) Brandt, 1907, and Tintinnopsis cylindrica Daday, 1887, isolated from Chinese coastal waters off Shenzhen and Qingdao, respectively, were investigated using living observation and silver impregnation methods. Detailed ciliary patterns of T. tocantinensis and T. radix are reported here for the first time, comprising a ventral, dorsal, and posterior kinety as well as a right, left, and lateral ciliary field. Furthermore, based on previous and present investigations, redescriptions for all three species and improved diagnoses for T. tocantinensis and T. radix are supplied.