How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
tíSecond toneqiánSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
I want to thank you in advance
huì會xiān先jiāng將qián前驅wù物tí提qián前氧huà化
nǐ你kě可yǐ以tí提qián前点dān单
you can order in advance
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
We're closing early.
。
The teacher permitted us to leave early.
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.