How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
yánSecond tonesèFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
duì对zhè这ge个guō锅shì是shén什me么yán颜sè色de的
What color is this pot?
shāo烧chéng成lüè略jiāo焦de的yán颜sè色
Burn it to a slightly charred color.
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
The colour is a bit too dark.
。
A rainbow has seven colors.
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.