How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
quānFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
wǒ我huì会fàng放xià下mǎ马tǒng桶quān圈
I'll put down the toilet seat, close the toilet
mǎ马tǒng桶quān圈
Now I need to use the toilet,
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See it in a sentence.
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I like doughnuts.
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.