Mandarin Chinese pronunciation practice with feedback

Why pronunciation feedback helps

It’s hard to hear your own pronunciation mistakes. Changing the tones can make 知道 (zhīdào, “to know”) sound like 直到 (zhídào, “until”).

Pronunciation 发音 checks your recording and gives feedback on each word. If it hears a different word, it shows that word in pinyin. Compare your recording with the site’s and listen for the difference.

How the drills work

Each drill gives you a short set of two-syllable words. You see only the pinyin, without Chinese characters. Listen to the site’s recording, then say the word. Hold the Record button or the space bar to record. Let go when you’ve finished.

There are four kinds of drill.

• Sounds that are easy to mix up. Practise pairs such as 四季 (sìjì) and 世纪 (shìjì), or 下雨 (xiàyǔ) and 下午 (xiàwǔ).
• Sounds that are hard to say together. Practise words such as 出去 (chūqù), where the sounds can be awkward to say in a row.
• Tone changes. Practise tones that change in speech, as in 可以 (kéyǐ), 一定 (yídìng) and 不是 (búshì). The pinyin shows the tones to say.
• Every sound. Work through every Mandarin sound.

If you’re new to pinyin, start with the free pinyin chart. Learn how pinyin and the four tones work and listen to the recordings.

What the feedback tells you

After each attempt, you’ll see one of these messages:

• “Sounded correct.”
• “Sounded more like zhídào.” The pinyin shows what was heard.
• “No clear word was picked up. Try again a little closer to the microphone.”

On mix-up drills, feedback about a mix-up also says “That’s the mix-up this drill is about.”

You may also see this hint:

“The tone of the second syllable may be a little off. Listen and compare with your recording.”

Play your recording beside the site’s and compare them.

At the end of a drill, a summary shows how many words sounded correct. You can practise the missed words again.

Your recordings are checked, then discarded. They are never stored.