How to pronounce xiaolongbao
xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) is 小笼包 in Chinese, written xiǎolóngbāo in pinyin and said shyow-loong-bow.
小笼包
shyow-loong-bow
Sound by sound
- 小shyowThird tone: low, dipping down
- 笼loongSecond tone: rising, as in a question
- 包bowFirst tone: high and level
Letters to watch
- X is said like the sh in “she”, with the tongue behind the bottom teeth. Never “z” or “ks”.
- Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
- Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.
Food and drink
- jiaozi 饺子 jyow-dzuh
- baozi 包子 bow-dzuh
- mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐 mah-paw-doh-foo
- Peking duck 北京烤鸭 bay-jeeng-kow-yah
- hot pot (huoguo) 火锅 hwaw-gwaw
- jianbing 煎饼 jyen-beeng
- zongzi 粽子 dzoong-dzuh
- baijiu 白酒 buy-jyoh
- oolong tea (wulong) 乌龙茶 woo-loong-chah
- pu-erh tea (pu’er) 普洱茶 poo-ar-chah
- tangyuan 汤圆 tahng-ywen
- mooncake (yuebing) 月饼 yweh-beeng
- boba tea (zhenzhu naicha) 珍珠奶茶 jun-joo-nigh-chah
- tofu (doufu) 豆腐 doh-foo
How do you pronounce xiaolongbao?
xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) is 小笼包 in Chinese, written xiǎolóngbāo in pinyin and said shyow-loong-bow.
What are the tones in xiaolongbao?
xiǎo: third tone, low, dipping down; lóng: second tone, rising, as in a question; bāo: first tone, high and level.
What do English speakers get wrong in xiaolongbao?
X is said like the sh in “she”, with the tongue behind the bottom teeth. Never “z” or “ks”. Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”. Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.
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.