突然 (tū rán) — sudden; abrupt; unexpected in Mandarin
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#821 most common word · HSK 3 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
突然 is pronounced tū rán. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Túrán xiàqǐ le yǔ.
It suddenly started raining.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 突然 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 突然 mean?+
突然 (tū rán) means "sudden; abrupt; unexpected" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 突然?+
突然 is pronounced tū rán. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 突然 in Mandarin?+
突然 is the #821 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 突然 fits
Every HSK 3 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
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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