How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
cáiSecond tonenéngSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
can only come home once a month.
qù去xué学xí习lìng另wài外yī一gè个cái才néng能
qù去xué学yī一xiē些tè特shū殊de的cái才néng能
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
He's a talented young director.
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.