How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
shíSecond tonewùFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
. Bowls are used to hold food
zhè这shì是yī一gè个shí食wù物de的diàn电zi子chèng秤
shì是dāng当dì地bǐ比jiào较tè特sè色de的shí食wù物
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
It's food.
The food is cold.
。
This food is too salty.
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.