How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
càiFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
The dish he ordered today is really delicious
tā它 de的 zhè这ge个 cài菜 hǎo好bù不 hǎo好chī吃 ne呢
see if their food is good.
tè特bié别jiǎn简dān单de的yī一gè个cài菜
A very simple dish
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
Mom is cooking.
。
I want to taste this dish.
。
I am stir-frying green vegetables.
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.