How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
zhīFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
kě可shì是nǐ你xiàn现zài在zhēn真de的jí急xū需yī一zhī支bǐ笔
But you really need a pen right now
dì第 sì四 gè个 yuán原yīn因, zhèng政fǔ府 de的 zhī支 chí持
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.