In Mandarin a wrong tone can turn "mother" (mā) into "horse" (mǎ), so good pronunciation starts with pitch. Record yourself reading a phrase or a short passage, and the AI writes back a pinyin transcription of what it actually heard, marks each syllable as clear or unclear, and compares it with standard Putonghua. It rates your accuracy on the first, second, third and fourth tones plus the neutral tone, checks whether you applied tone sandhi (for example 你好 becoming ní hǎo), and flags consonant and vowel slips such as zh/ch/sh sliding toward z/c/s or ü turning into u. The report closes with 0 to 100 scores and a short list of drills for the sounds that need work.
Example result
Input
A 35-second recording of an intermediate learner reading "我想买一杯绿茶，不太甜的" and two sentences about the weekend.
Output
Heard as: wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì bēi lǜchá, bú tài tián de. Tones: tone 1 on 杯 is level and steady. Tone 4 on 太 falls well. Tone 2 on 甜 starts too low and sounds close to tone 3. Sandhi: 我想买 is three third tones in a row; you said wǒ xiǎng mǎi with a full dip on each. Native speech gives wó xiáng mǎi, so the first two should rise. 一 before 杯 and 不 before 太 changed correctly. Initials and vowels: 茶 (chá) is slightly flat, drifting toward cá; curl the tongue tip back. 绿 came out as lù instead of lǜ; keep the lips rounded while saying "ee". Neutral tone: 的 is light and short. Good. Next: practice 3-3-3 phrases slowly, then minimal pairs chá/cá and lǜ/lù.
Scores
How it works
How Chinese Pronunciation Checker works
- 01
Read Chinese out loud
Sign in, open the checker and record in the browser or upload a clip. Characters, a pinyin drill or a dialogue from your textbook all work; you can choose which AI model listens.
- 02
Tone contour check
The model follows the pitch of every syllable: high and level for tone 1, rising for tone 2, the low dip of tone 3, the sharp fall of tone 4, and the short, light neutral tone on particles like 了 and 的.
- 03
Sandhi and initials
It listens for third-tone sandhi, the tone changes on 一 and 不, retroflex zh, ch, sh and r against flat z, c and s, the j/q/x series, and the rounded ü in words like 女 and 绿.
- 04
Pinyin readout and drills
You get a word-level pinyin transcript of your speech with tone marks, the specific errors behind each score, and targeted practice suggestions.
Use cases
Who it is for
HSK and classroom learners
Record the vocabulary list or reading passage from this week's lesson and find out which tone pairs you still confuse before your speaking test.
Heritage speakers
Grew up with Cantonese or Hokkien at home? See where your Putonghua tones and retroflex sounds drift from the standard.
Self-study with apps and flashcards
Read the day's flashcards aloud and see whether your tones matched the marks on the card.
Business travel and meetings
Rehearse a self-introduction or a toast and fix the words most likely to be misheard, such as names and numbers, before you arrive.
Tips
Get better results
- Speak at a natural pace; exaggerating every tone in isolation hides the sandhi changes that real sentences need.
- Pick material with several third tones and with 一 and 不, because those are where the tone rules show up most.
- Record in a quiet room with the microphone close; background noise makes the low part of tone 3 hard to hear.
- Repeat the same passage after a week of drills and compare the tone_accuracy score rather than chasing a perfect overall number.
Limitations
What it can't tell you
The feedback is an AI estimate based on standard Mandarin as spoken in mainland China. Taiwanese Mandarin and regional accents differ on some sounds (for example a softer retroflex), and the model may mark those as errors even when they are normal where you live. It cannot see your mouth or tongue, so articulation advice is inferred from sound only. Use it alongside a teacher or tutor, not as a formal proficiency grade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chinese Pronunciation Checker questions
How do I check my Mandarin tones?
Read a short passage aloud and upload the recording. The AI writes the pinyin with the tone it heard on each syllable, so you can see at a glance where a rising second tone sounded like a dipping third, or where a falling fourth tone was too flat. The tone_accuracy score summarizes the whole clip.
Does it understand tone sandhi?
Yes. The system is told to analyze tone changes and sandhi rules, so it checks whether two third tones in a row became rising plus low, and whether 一 and 不 changed tone before the next syllable. Missing sandhi is one of the most common reasons learners sound unnatural even with correct dictionary tones.
Can it hear the difference between zh, ch, sh and z, c, s?
It listens for whether your tongue tip curls back (retroflex) on zh, ch, sh and r, or stays behind the teeth for z, c and s. Mixing these is typical for learners and for speakers from southern China, and the report names the exact words where it happened.
What is pinyin and why does the report use it?
Pinyin is the official romanization for Mandarin, with accent marks for tones: ā, á, ǎ, à. Writing your speech back in pinyin makes errors visible. If the transcript shows lu where you meant lǜ, you know the rounded ü vowel needs work.
Should I record characters or pinyin?
Either is fine. The AI only hears the audio, so what matters is that you read something you know well. Characters train real-life reading; pinyin isolates pronunciation.
Is this a Chinese tones checker for Cantonese too?
No. This checker compares your speech with standard Mandarin (Putonghua). Cantonese has a different tone system with more contours, and the feedback would not apply.
How is access handled?
Analyses run on a paid monthly plan that gives you credits, and each recording uses some of them. The pricing page lists the current options.
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Chinese Pronunciation Checker uses credits from a paid LindaleAI plan. See pricing