食物 (shí wù) — food in Mandarin
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#1219 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR B2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
食物 is pronounced shí wù. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Zhōngguó cài yǒu hěnduō měiwèi de shíwù.
Chinese cuisine has many delicious foods.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 食物 mean?+
食物 (shí wù) means "food" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 食物?+
食物 is pronounced shí wù. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 食物 in Mandarin?+
食物 is the #1219 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 食物 fits
Every HSK 5 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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