老板 (lǎo bǎn) — boss; proprietor in Mandarin
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#1120 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR C1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
老板 is pronounced lǎo bǎn. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Wǒ jiā de yóuyānjī shì lǎobǎn pái de.
My kitchen range hood is the Robam brand.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 老板 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 老板 mean?+
老板 (lǎo bǎn) means "boss; proprietor" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 老板?+
老板 is pronounced lǎo bǎn. It uses the tone 3 (rising/dipping). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 老板 in Mandarin?+
老板 is the #1120 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 老板 fits
Every HSK 5 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
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What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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