How to pronounce Qingdao
Qingdao (the seaside city in Shandong) is 青岛 in Chinese, written Qīngdǎo in pinyin and said cheeng-dow.
青岛
cheeng-dow
Sound by sound
- 青cheengFirst tone: high and level
- 岛dowThird tone: low, dipping down
Letters to watch
- Q is said like the ch in “cheese”, with the tongue forward. Never “k” or “kw”.
- Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
Places
- Beijing 北京 bay-jeeng
- Shanghai 上海 shahng-high
- Guangzhou 广州 gwahng-joh
- Shenzhen 深圳 shun-jun
- Chongqing 重庆 choong-cheeng
- Chengdu 成都 chung-doo
- Xi’an 西安 shee-ahn
- Hangzhou 杭州 hahng-joh
- Suzhou 苏州 soo-joh
- Nanjing 南京 nahn-jeeng
- Wuhan 武汉 woo-hahn
- Tianjin 天津 tyen-jeen
- Xiamen 厦门 shyah-mun
- Harbin 哈尔滨 hah-ar-been
- Kunming 昆明 kwun-meeng
- Guilin 桂林 gway-leen
- Zhengzhou 郑州 jung-joh
- Changsha 长沙 chahng-shah
- Dalian 大连 dah-lyen
- Shenyang 沈阳 shun-yahng
- Xinjiang 新疆 sheen-jyahng
- Tibet (Xizang) 西藏 shee-dzahng
- Taiwan 台湾 tie-wahn
- Taipei 台北 tie-bay
- China (Zhongguo) 中国 joong-gwaw
- the Yangtze (Changjiang) 长江 chahng-jyahng
How do you pronounce Qingdao?
Qingdao (the seaside city in Shandong) is 青岛 in Chinese, written Qīngdǎo in pinyin and said cheeng-dow.
What are the tones in Qingdao?
qīng: first tone, high and level; dǎo: third tone, low, dipping down.
What do English speakers get wrong in Qingdao?
Q is said like the ch in “cheese”, with the tongue forward. Never “k” or “kw”. Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
More free tools
Voices recorded for our word cards. A spelling such as “shyow-mee” is the nearest English sound, not the sound itself: hear the voices.