How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
gōngFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
sòng送qù去gěi給bǎo保mǔ母huò或shì是gōng公、私lì立tuō托yīng嬰機構de的bǐ比lì例
duì对wǒ我men们wǒ我men们lǎo老shī师shì是kě可yǐ以gōng公
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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.