Pinyin chart · lai

How to say lai

lai in its 2 tones, said in a female or a male voice. Tap a tone to hear it.

lai

Tap a tone to hear it; tap it again to hear it slower.

Voice

How to say it

l: As in English “l”, at the start of a word.

ai: ai is close to the “eye” of English.

Its tones

lái 来 to come · lài 赖 to rely on. lāi and lǎi aren’t used in standard Mandarin. The pinyin trainer practices telling them apart in real words.

Sounds near it

Learners often mix lai up with these. Listen to them one after the other.

Words with lai

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.