How to pronounce zi in pinyin, tone by tone
Hear every tone of zi, see the real words that use it, and record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
zi
Hear it, then test your tones
Take the free 3–5-minute pronunciation test and get a score for every tone.
zi in every tone
子
zǐㄗˇT3
child / seed
字
zìㄗˋT4
character / word
How to say it
z- is a flat "ds" (as in "kids"), tongue forward — not the curled zh-.
Try it yourself
Record yourself saying 子 and get instant AI feedback.
Words with zi
Related & easily-confused syllables
Now say it — see each syllable’s tone
兹子字zī zǐ zì
zi in tones 1, 3, 4
Keep exploring
Test your pronunciation
Free, with a score for every word.
Free French pronunciation testFree French accent testCheck any French textFree Spanish pronunciation testFree Spanish accent testCheck any Spanish textFree German pronunciation testFree German accent testCheck any German textFree Russian pronunciation testFree Russian accent testCheck any Russian textFree Japanese pronunciation testFree Japanese accent testCheck any Japanese textFree Korean pronunciation testFree Korean accent testCheck any Korean textFree English pronunciation testFree English accent testCheck any English text
Master Chinese pronunciation
TonePerfect scores every tone, initial, and final you say — with 2,200+ guided drills.