How to pronounce lao shi (老师) in Chinese

Hear 老师 (lǎo shī) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.

老师

lǎo shī

Characters & meanings

lǎoT3

prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old

shīT1

teacher / master

Common mistake

Low + high (3-1): dip low on lǎo, then leap to a level high shī (retroflex, buzzy vowel). Watch the near-twin 老是 lǎoshì ("always") — only the final tone differs.

Example sentence

老师,您好!

Lǎoshī, nín hǎo!

Hello, teacher!

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