How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
kāiFirst tonechēFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
If the client drives to pick me up
xiàn现zài在 hěn很 duō多 rén人 xuǎn选zé择 shǎo少 kāi开chē车
tā他bù不kāi开chē车tā他bù不kāi开chē车
Select a word for its meaning.
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.