How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
jiāFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
nǐ你lái来wǒ我de的jiā家zhēn真de的hěn很xīn辛kǔ苦
It must be really hard for you to be part of my family
lí离jiā家bàn半xiǎo小shí时hòu后
half an hour after leaving home,
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
This is my home.
Your home is very nice.
I am at home.
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.