母亲 (mǔ qīn) — mother in Mandarin
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#549 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
母亲 is pronounced mǔ qīn. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Wǒ mǔ qīn shì yī ge yī shēng.
My mother is a doctor.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 母亲 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 母亲 mean?+
母亲 (mǔ qīn) means "mother" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 母亲?+
母亲 is pronounced mǔ qīn. It uses the tone 3 (rising/dipping), then the tone 1 (high flat). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 母亲 in Mandarin?+
母亲 is the #549 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 母亲 fits
Every HSK 4 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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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.