Pinyin chart · hou
How to say hou
hou in all four tones, said in a female or a male voice. Tap a tone to hear it.
hou
Tap a tone to hear it; tap it again to hear it slower.
Voice
How to say it
h: Further back than English h, with a little friction, like a soft version of the ch in Scottish “loch”.
ou: ou is close to the “oh” of “go”.
Its tones
hōu 齁 cloyingly · hóu 猴 monkey · hǒu 吼 to roar · hòu 后 after. The pinyin trainer practices telling them apart in real words.
Sounds near it
Learners often mix hou up with these. Listen to them one after the other.
Words with hou
The voices are generated speech (ElevenLabs), the same two the app’s word cards use, each tone said as one real word. The words are from the official HSK list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus), easiest first. Every syllable is on the pinyin chart.