How to pronounce Tibet
Tibet (the region on the Tibetan Plateau) is 西藏 in Chinese, written Xīzàng in pinyin and said shee-dzahng.
西藏
shee-dzahng
Sound by sound
- 西sheeFirst tone: high and level
- 藏dzahngFourth tone: falling sharply
Letters to watch
- X is said like the sh in “she”, with the tongue behind the bottom teeth. Never “z” or “ks”.
- Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z.
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
- Qingdao 青岛 cheeng-dow
- 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
- 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 Tibet?
Tibet (the region on the Tibetan Plateau) is 西藏 in Chinese, written Xīzàng in pinyin and said shee-dzahng.
What are the tones in Tibet?
xī: first tone, high and level; zàng: fourth tone, falling sharply.
What do English speakers get wrong in Tibet?
X is said like the sh in “she”, with the tongue behind the bottom teeth. Never “z” or “ks”. Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z.
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.