Pinyin chart · ke
How to say ke
ke in all four tones, said in a female or a male voice. Tap a tone to hear it.
ke
Tap a tone to hear it; tap it again to hear it slower.
How to say it
k: Like the k in “kite”, with a strong puff of air.
e: e on its own is not the e in “bed”: it is like the “uh” in “duh” said with the lips spread and the tongue pulled back.
Its tones
kē 科 branch of study · ké 壳 shell · kě 可 can · kè 课 class. The pinyin trainer practices telling them apart in real words.
Sounds near it
Learners often mix ke up with these. Listen to them one after the other.
Words with ke
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.