How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
dàiFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
děng等 dài待 diàn电tī梯 xià下lai来
here. Waiting for the elevator to come down.
xiàn现zài在 wǒ我 zài在 zhè这 děng等 dài待
! Now I'm waiting
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
We are staying at our uncle's.
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.