黑 (hēi) — Black in Mandarin
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#744 most common word · HSK 2 · CEFR A2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
黑 is pronounced hēi. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Zhè shì yī zhī hēi māo.
This is a black cat.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 黑 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 黑 mean?+
黑 (hēi) means "Black" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 黑?+
黑 is pronounced hēi. It uses the tone 1 (high flat). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 黑 in Mandarin?+
黑 is the #744 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 黑 fits
Every HSK 2 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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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.