How to pronounce kai shi (开始) in Chinese

Hear 开始 (kāi shǐ) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.

开始

kāi shǐ

Characters & meanings

开
kāiT1

to open; to start

始
shǐT3

to begin

Common mistake

High + low (1-3): level kāi, then sink into shǐ — a retroflex, buzzy low dip. Watch the near-mirror kǎoshì (exam), which flips the tones to 3-4.

Example sentence

电影开始了。

Diànyǐng kāishǐ le.

The movie has started.

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