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🔊 Standard Mandarin · 普通话

Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation Soundboard

Hear Mandarin initials, finals, four tones, and everyday words.

Pinyin sounds

Pinyin is a pronunciation guide, not the English alphabet. Tap a sound to hear it inside a Chinese syllable. Chinese characters are always used for playback.

Four tones and a neutral tone

High level (1), rising (2), low or dipping (3), falling (4), and a light neutral tone. In connected speech, third tones are often low; before another third tone, the first changes to a rising tone.

ma

mai

tang

shu

wen

shi

Everyday words and numbers

Why this is good practice

Your mouth gets a tiny workout 🎧

Mandarin Chinese can feel tricky because small sound changes carry big meaning. Tapping letters, tones, and example words lets you hear those differences at your own pace. It is simple ear training.

Use this when a word sounds close but not quite right. Listen, repeat once, then compare another tone or vowel. Quick loops build muscle memory for sounds that do not show up in English.