像是 (xiàngshì) — to seem; to be like in Mandarin

xià​ngshì
“to seem; to be like”

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#1388 most common word

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

像是 is pronounced xiàngshì. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

xià
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)
ngshì
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)

In a sentence

Tiānqì xiàngshì yào xiàyǔ le.

It looks like it's going to rain.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 像是 mean?+

像是 (xiàngshì) means "to seem; to be like" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 像是?+

像是 is pronounced xiàngshì. It uses the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 像是 in Mandarin?+

像是 is the #1388 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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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.