How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
bàFourth tonebaNeutral tone
Hear it in conversation
rú如guǒ果nǐ你bù不tīng听bà爸ba爸mā妈ma妈de的huà话
If you don't listen to your parents
biǎo表shì示nǐ你mǎ马shàng上yào要zuò做bà爸ba爸le了
It means you're about to become a dad
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
Dad likes watching television.
Dad is watching television.
。
My dad works at a hospital.
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.