How to pronounce Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong (the founder of the People’s Republic) is 毛泽东 in Chinese, written Máozédōng in pinyin and said mow-dzuh-doong.

毛泽东 Máozédōng

mow-dzuh-doong

Sound by sound

毛máomowSecond tone: rising, as in a question
泽zédzuhSecond tone: rising, as in a question
东dōngdoongFirst tone: high and level

Letters to watch

Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z.
E alone is the “uh” in “duh”, not “ee” or “eh”.
Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.

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How do you pronounce Mao Zedong?

Mao Zedong (the founder of the People’s Republic) is 毛泽东 in Chinese, written Máozédōng in pinyin and said mow-dzuh-doong.

What are the tones in Mao Zedong?

máo: second tone, rising, as in a question; zé: second tone, rising, as in a question; dōng: first tone, high and level.

What do English speakers get wrong in Mao Zedong?

Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”. Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z. E alone is the “uh” in “duh”, not “ee” or “eh”. Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.

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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.