How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
nánSecond tonedàoFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
Is it really very scary?
nán难dào道wǒ我men们yào要yī一zhí直zhàn站zhe着ma吗?
nán难dào道xiū休xi息hái还huì会ràng让rén人gèng更lèi累ma吗?
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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.