How to pronounce zongzi
zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in leaves) is 粽子 in Chinese, written zòngzi in pinyin and said dzoong-dzuh.
粽子
dzoong-dzuh
Sound by sound
- 粽dzoongFourth tone: falling sharply
- 子dzuhNeutral tone: light and short
Letters to watch
- Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z.
- Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”.
- After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz.
Food and drink
- xiaolongbao 小笼包 shyow-loong-bow
- 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
- 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 zongzi?
zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in leaves) is 粽子 in Chinese, written zòngzi in pinyin and said dzoong-dzuh.
What are the tones in zongzi?
zòng: fourth tone, falling sharply; zi: neutral tone, light and short.
What do English speakers get wrong in zongzi?
Z is said like the ds in “kids”, softer than an English z. Ong rhymes with the “oo” of “book” plus ng, not with “long”. After z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r, the i is no “ee”: the first sound is held on, like a buzz.
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.