How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
sànFourth tonebùFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
nǐ你kě可yǐ以dào到nà那li里qù去sàn散bù步
You can go for a walk there.
还yǒu有xià夏tiān天wǎn晚shang上kě可yǐ以qù去gōng公yuán园sàn散bù步
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
I accompanied her on a walk.
I took a walk.
I like taking walks.
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.