---
title: "How to Pronounce xiaolongbao (小笼包) in Chinese, With Audio | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) is 小笼包 in Chinese, written xiǎolóngbāo in pinyin and said shyow-loong-bow. Hear it from two native speakers, slow or normal, sound by sound with its tones, then say it and see if you got it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/xiaolongbao"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[How to pronounce](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce)

# 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 xiǎolóngbāo

shyow-loong-bow

## Sound by sound

1. 小xiǎoshyowThird tone: low, dipping down
2. 笼lóngloongSecond tone: rising, as in a question
3. 包bāobowFirst 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](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/jiaozi)
- [baozi 包子 bow-dzuh](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/baozi)
- [mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐 mah-paw-doh-foo](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/mapo-tofu)
- [Peking duck 北京烤鸭 bay-jeeng-kow-yah](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/peking-duck)
- [hot pot (huoguo) 火锅 hwaw-gwaw](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/hot-pot)
- [jianbing 煎饼 jyen-beeng](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/jianbing)
- [zongzi 粽子 dzoong-dzuh](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/zongzi)
- [baijiu 白酒 buy-jyoh](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/baijiu)
- [oolong tea (wulong) 乌龙茶 woo-loong-chah](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/oolong-tea)
- [pu-erh tea (pu’er) 普洱茶 poo-ar-chah](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/pu-erh-tea)
- [tangyuan 汤圆 tahng-ywen](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/tangyuan)
- [mooncake (yuebing) 月饼 yweh-beeng](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/mooncake)
- [boba tea (zhenzhu naicha) 珍珠奶茶 jun-joo-nigh-chah](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/boba-zhenzhu-naicha)
- [tofu (doufu) 豆腐 doh-foo](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/tofu-doufu)

[Every name, or type your own](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce)

## 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

- [Chinese text to speech](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-text-to-speech)
- [Chinese name to pinyin](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-name-to-pinyin)
- [Tone practice](https://mandarinthewild.com/tone-practice)
- [Pronunciation checker](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-pronunciation-checker)
- [Pinyin chart](https://mandarinthewild.com/pinyin-chart)

Voices recorded for our word cards. A spelling such as “shyow-mee” is the nearest English sound, not the sound itself: hear the voices.