How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
ziNeutral tone
Hear it in conversation
wā哇 zhè这lǐ里 hǎo好duō多 wén蚊 zi子 ā啊
Let's go! Wow, there are so many mosquitoes here!
wǒ我lái来gěi给dà大jiā家jǔ举gè个例zi子
Let me give you an example
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
I sell shoes.
。
Fix the shelf to the wall.
You're an idiot.
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.