先生 (xiānsheng) — mister; sir; teacher in Mandarin
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#562 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
先生 is pronounced xiānsheng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Lǐ xiānshēng lái le.
Mr. Li has arrived.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 先生 mean?+
先生 (xiānsheng) means "mister; sir; teacher" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 先生?+
先生 is pronounced xiānsheng. It uses the tone 1 (high flat). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 先生 in Mandarin?+
先生 is the #562 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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