How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
dàFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
There is a very big difference
lìng另wài外liǎng两gè个qiē切chéng成dà大kuài块。
Cut the other two into big pieces.
bǐ比wǒ我dà大30suì岁de的wǒ我zì自jǐ己
A version of myself 30 years older
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
This apple is big.
How old is your grandfather?
。
I like big cities.
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.