How to pronounce Alipay

Alipay (the payment app) is 支付宝 in Chinese, written Zhīfùbǎo in pinyin and said jr-foo-bow.

支付宝 Zhīfùbǎo

jr-foo-bow

Sound by sound

支zhījrFirst tone: high and level
付fùfooFourth tone: falling sharply
宝bǎobowThird tone: low, dipping down

Letters to watch

Zh is said like the j in “jam”, with the tongue curled back. Not “z”.
After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz.
Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.

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How do you pronounce Alipay?

Alipay (the payment app) is 支付宝 in Chinese, written Zhīfùbǎo in pinyin and said jr-foo-bow.

What are the tones in Alipay?

zhī: first tone, high and level; fù: fourth tone, falling sharply; bǎo: third tone, low, dipping down.

What do English speakers get wrong in Alipay?

Zh is said like the j in “jam”, with the tongue curled back. Not “z”. After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz. Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.

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Voices recorded for our word cards. A spelling such as “shyow-mee” is the nearest English sound, not the sound itself: hear the voices.