How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
shòuFourth tonebùFourth toneliǎoThird tone
Hear it in conversation
yī一duī堆蟑螂rán然hòu后kěn肯dìng定shòu受bù不liǎo了zhè这种
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
I can't put up with him.
I can't take it any more.
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.