How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
máSecond tonefanNeutral tone
Hear it in conversation
zěn怎me么zhè这me么má麻fan烦
Why is it so troublesome
🕺mǎi买dōng东xi西shì是bù不shì是hěn很má麻fan烦?
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
He's troubled.
He is in trouble.
Sorry to bother you!
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.