是不是 (shìbúshì) — is or isn't (yes/no question) in Mandarin
🔊 Tap to hear it
#519 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
是不是 is pronounced shìbúshì. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Nǐ shìbúshì xǐhuān zhè bù diànyǐng?
Do you like this movie or not?
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 是不是 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 是不是 mean?+
是不是 (shìbúshì) means "is or isn't (yes/no question)" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 是不是?+
是不是 is pronounced shìbúshì. It uses the tone 4 (falling), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 是不是 in Mandarin?+
是不是 is the #519 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.
On iPhone, Android and the web
ToneDeck is on the App Store. The trainer works right now.
Download ToneDeck for iPhone or Android today. One account unlocks Pro on both the app and the web. Prefer the browser? The full tone trainer runs at tonedeck.app right now, no install, free to start.
Sign up free and start trainingBrowse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.