How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
zhǔnThird tonebèiFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
breakfast. See
zhǔn准bèi备sān三gè个xī西hóng红shì柿。
Prepare three tomatoes.
dàn但zhǐ只yào要zhǔn准bèi备hǎo好,bǎo保chí持wēi微xiào笑,
but as long as we're prepared and keep a smile on our face,
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
I am ready.
。
Prepare yourself for the future.
。
I prepared some snacks.
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.