How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
hēiFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
Let me explain what taking the blame means
tiān天dōu都 hēi黑 le了
It got dark.
xiàn现zài在tiān天yǐ已jīng经màn慢màn慢hēi黑le了
It is gradually getting dark now.
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
It was pretty dark under the bridge.
Do black holes exist?
He doesn't tan.
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.