How to pronounce Confucius

Confucius (the philosopher) is 孔子 in Chinese, written Kǒngzǐ in pinyin and said koong-dzuh.

孔子 Kǒngzǐ

koong-dzuh

Sound by sound

孔kǒngkoongThird tone, said rising here before another third tone
子zǐdzuhThird tone: low, dipping down

Letters to watch

Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.
Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z.
After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz.

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How do you pronounce Confucius?

Confucius (the philosopher) is 孔子 in Chinese, written Kǒngzǐ in pinyin and said koong-dzuh. The first syllable is said with a rising tone, since a third tone before another third tone rises.

What are the tones in Confucius?

kǒng: second tone here, rising; zǐ: third tone, low, dipping down.

What do English speakers get wrong in Confucius?

Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”. Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z. After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz.

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