How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
suānFirst tone
Hear it in conversation
jiù就bí鼻zi子yī一suān酸ne呢jiù就zài在nà那kū哭
chī吃bù不chū出lái来suān酸wèi味,dàn但shì是ròu肉huì会hěn很xiāng香
Won't taste sour, but meat becomes tastier.
Select a word for its meaning.
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.