How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
shànFourth tonechángSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
dàn但shì是wǒ我shàn擅cháng长huà画huà画
dàn但shì是wǒ我hěn很shàn擅cháng长chī吃fàn饭
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
He is good at driving.
I'm good at tennis.
I'm good at soccer.
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.