Mandarin Pronunciation — 中文发音
Master Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, Pinyin, and the four tones with native audio.
🎙️ Hear Any Mandarin Word Now
Type any Chinese character (e.g., 你好) or Pinyin (e.g., nǐ hǎo), select Mandarin Chinese, and press Pronounce for instant native audio and tone visualization.
Open Pronouncer Tool →Mastering the Four Tones
Mandarin is a tonal language. The pitch contour of a syllable completely changes its meaning. The classic example is the syllable "ma":
- 1st Tone (Flat): mā (妈) — Mother (High, flat pitch)
- 2nd Tone (Rising): má (麻) — Hemp (Rising pitch, like asking a question)
- 3rd Tone (Falling-Rising): mǎ (马) — Horse (Dips down, then rises)
- 4th Tone (Falling): mà (骂) — Scold (Sharp, falling pitch)
- Neutral Tone: ma (吗) — Question particle (Light, brief)
Pinyin & IPA
Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet but the letters don't always match English sounds. For example, "c" is pronounced /tsʰ/ (like "ts" in "cats"), "q" is /tɕʰ/ (like a sharp "chee"), and "x" is /ɕ/ (a soft "sh"). Pronouncer automatically converts characters to both Pinyin and IPA.