How to pronounce yi si (意思) in Chinese

Hear 意思 (yì si) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.

意思

yì si

Characters & meanings

意
yìT4

idea; meaning

思
siT0

to think

Common mistake

Falling + neutral (4-0): yì drops, then si is a toneless dental buzz — vowel hummed behind the teeth, never "see". Full-toned yìsī sounds stilted.

Tone change in this word

思 is neutral in 意思 (and in the idiom 不好意思).

Example sentence

这是什么意思?

Zhè shì shénme yìsi?

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