。
He was harshly criticized.
How to pronounce 严厉
How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
yán严lì厉
severe; strict
HSK 6
Synthesized Mandarin audio · Vivian voice
yánSecond tonelìFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
🕺。，
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
He is strict yet kind.
。
We have to be strict.
Hear the difference
A syllable has a shape.
Tone marks show how pitch changes. Colors help you follow each syllable in the app.
ā First toneHigh and level
á Second toneRising
ǎ Third toneLow, then rising in isolation
à Fourth toneFalling
a Neutral toneShort and light
These are dictionary tones. In natural speech, tones can change with context. A third tone often stays low before another syllable.