How to pronounce Mao Zedong (毛泽东) in Chinese
Mao Zedong is 毛泽东, Máo Zédōng: roughly "maow dzuh-doong", with two rising tones and a high, level one. Hear 毛泽东 (máo zé dōng) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
毛泽东
máo zé dōng
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Characters & meanings
(surname) hair, fur
marsh; to benefit
east
Common mistake
Z is "dz", e is a back "uh", and dōng rhymes with the "oo" of "book" + ng, not with English "dong".
Mao Zedong in Mandarin: what to get right
Mao Zedong (1893–1976) founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Older English books spell the name Mao Tse-tung, the Wade–Giles romanization; pinyin Zedong replaced it from the late 1970s. Surname first: Máo is the family name.
How English speakers usually say it
Reading the pinyin as English gives "Mao Zee-dong" or "Mao Zed-ong". There is no "ee" and no English z: pinyin z is "dz", e is an unrounded "uh" made at the back of the mouth, and ong is "oong".
How to say 毛泽东 tone by tone
Máo: "maow", rising. Zé: "dzuh", also rising. Dōng: unaspirated d, "doong", high and level. Two rises then a level top: let zé finish high so dōng can stay there.
The recorder below scores the Mandarin, 毛泽东 (máo zé dōng): every syllable’s tone, initial and final. Check your tones on more words.
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