How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
cáiSecond toneliàoFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
pī披萨de的cái材liào料yǒu有2,000yuán元
péi培yǎng养tiān天rán然酵mǔ母xū需yào要yǒu有liǎng两gè个cái材liào料:miàn面fěn粉hé和shuǐ水。
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
This material is damaged.
。
Materials will be provided.
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.