才是 (cáishì) — Is in Mandarin
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#1403 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
才是 is pronounced cáishì. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Dúshū cáishì zuì zhòngyào de.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 才是 mean?+
才是 (cáishì) means "Is" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 才是?+
才是 is pronounced cáishì. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 才是 in Mandarin?+
才是 is the #1403 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
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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