Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over a billion native speakers โ the most-spoken native language in the world. Mandarin's tones โ where pitch changes the meaning of a syllable โ are usually the hardest part for new learners to pick up from reading alone. Hearing a phrase spoken correctly, repeatedly, is a more direct way in than memorizing tone marks.
Each phrase here is shown in Chinese characters with a simplified phonetic reading beneath it, covering the same everyday situations as the rest of the Nocturnal Voice courses. Every phrase is spoken aloud, shown with a phonetic guide, and listed in full underneath the player โ read along, listen with your eyes closed, or both.
Mandarin Chinese is written with Chinese characters, shown here with a simplified phonetic reading beneath each phrase. If it looks unfamiliar, that's normal โ the phonetic guide under every phrase on this page (and in the word list below the player) exists specifically so you never have to guess.
Reading pinyin (the romanized spelling) without the tone marks is a common trap โ the tone is not optional information, it's part of the word.
Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over a billion native speakers โ the most-spoken native language in the world.
Mandarin Chinese is written with Chinese characters, shown here with a simplified phonetic reading beneath each phrase. Every phrase on this page is shown in that script alongside a plain-English phonetic guide, so you're never stuck if the characters feel unfamiliar.
Reading pinyin (the romanized spelling) without the tone marks is a common trap โ the tone is not optional information, it's part of the word.