How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
tèFourth tonebiéSecond tone
Hear it in conversation
,
a very special experience:
bù不 shì是 shén什me么 tè特bié别 de的 rén人
hěn很tè特bié别chāo超jí级hǎo好
Very special, super nice
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
This is special.
It's very special.
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.