How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
diànFourth tonetīFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
your card, and take the elevator.
děng等dài待 diàn电tī梯 xià下lai来
here. Waiting for the elevator to come down.
jīn今tiān天wǒ我zài在diàn电tī梯lǐ里
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
Where is the elevator?
The elevator's out again.
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.