区别 (qū bié) — difference in Mandarin
🔊 Tap to hear it
#1243 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
区别 is pronounced qū bié. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
píng guǒ hé chéng zi yǒu qū bié
Apples and oranges have a difference
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 区别 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 区别 mean?+
区别 (qū bié) means "difference" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 区别?+
区别 is pronounced qū bié. 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 区别 in Mandarin?+
区别 is the #1243 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 区别 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.
Coming to iOS & Android
The mobile app is on the way. The trainer works right now.
ToneDeck for iPhone and Android is launching soon, and your progress syncs across every device. Meanwhile the full tone trainer runs in your browser today — no install, free to start.
Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.