How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
xīnFirst toneniánSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
It is during the New Year
xīn新nián年yào要yǒu有xīn新de的開始
ér而qiě且 wǒ我們hái還tè特別準備yī一fèn份xīn新nián年禮物
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.