How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
ǎiThird tone
Hear it in conversation
suǒ所yǐ以wǒ我tiān天花板bǐ比wǒ我hái还ǎi矮
kě可shì是tā他mā妈ma妈hé和wǒ我yī一yàng样ǎi矮
But his mom is as short as I am
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.