the (the) — the in Mandarin
🔊 Tap to hear it
#189 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
the is pronounced the. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does the mean?+
the (the) means "the" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce the?+
the is pronounced the. It is read with a neutral, unstressed tone. Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is the in Mandarin?+
the is the #189 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.
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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.