---
title: "How to Pronounce zongzi (粽子) in Chinese, With Audio | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in leaves) is 粽子 in Chinese, written zòngzi in pinyin and said dzoong-dzuh. 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/zongzi"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# 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 zòngzi

dzoong-dzuh

## Sound by sound

1. 粽zòngdzoongFourth tone: falling sharply
2. 子zidzuhNeutral 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](https://mandarinthewild.com/how-to-pronounce/xiaolongbao)
- [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)
- [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 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

- [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.