How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
zāngFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
This is my laundry basket.
huò或zhě者shuō说shuǐ水guǎn管lǐ里yǒu有hěn很duō多de的zāng脏dōng东xi西
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
The fridge is dirty.
The plate is dirty.
The fork is dirty.
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.