前 (qián) — Ago in Mandarin
🔊 Tap to hear it
#118 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
前 is pronounced qián. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
yī nián qián wǒ zài nàli.
One year ago I was there.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 前 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 前 mean?+
前 (qián) means "Ago" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 前?+
前 is pronounced qián. It uses the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 前 in Mandarin?+
前 is the #118 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.
Coming to iOS & Android
The mobile app is on the way. The trainer works right now.
ToneDeck for iPhone and Android is launching soon, and your progress syncs across every device. Meanwhile the full tone trainer runs in your browser today — no install, free to start.
Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.