How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
shēngFirst tonerìFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
For example, you go to a friend's birthday party
tā他chàng唱de的shì是shēng生rì日gē歌shēng生rì日gē歌
It sang "Happy Birthday !"
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
Happy birthday to you!
。
The Emperor's Birthday fell on Sunday.
。
Her birthday party will be tomorrow evening.
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.