How to pronounce BYD (比亚迪) in Chinese
In Chinese, BYD is 比亚迪, bǐ yà dí: "bee-yah-dee", with a low, a falling and a rising tone. Hear 比亚迪 (bǐ yà dí) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
比亚迪
bǐ yà dí
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Characters & meanings
to compare
second; Asia
to guide
Common mistake
Bǐ before a falling tone keeps only its low part: low, fall, rise. b and d have no puff of air.
BYD in Mandarin: what to get right
BYD, the carmaker and battery company founded in Shenzhen in 1995, is called 比亚迪 in Chinese. The three characters are chosen for their sound; as a phrase they don’t mean anything. "Build Your Dreams" was attached to the letters later. In China you will hear both the Chinese name and the letters B-Y-D.
How English speakers usually say it
Outside China people say the letters, "bee-why-dee". If you say the Chinese name, the usual mistake is to give all three syllables the same flat pitch, or to stress the middle one as in English "Bee-YAH-dee".
How to say 比亚迪 tone by tone
Bǐ is a third tone before a fourth tone, so only its low part is said: "bee", low. Yà: "yah", falling sharply from high. Dí: "dee", rising. b and d are unaspirated: no puff of air, closer to the p in "spin" and the t in "stop" than to English b and d at the start of a word.
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比亚迪bǐ yà dí
BYD
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