How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
gāngFirst tonecáiSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
Let's go back to the previous example
xīn心li里xiǎng想qǐ起gāng刚cái才de的miàn面shì试。
thought about the interview. An interview is
zhèng正hǎo好kě可yǐ以huí回dá答nǐ你gāng刚cái才de的wèn问tí题。
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
I was at home.
I just threw up.
,?
Is there anything you want to add to what I just said?
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.