All pinyin syllables ›biao
Pinyin syllableHow to pronounce “biao” in Chinese
biao = b + iao,[pjɑʊ].Used in 2 tones and 11 words from HSK 1–3.
Hear it, then say it
Tap play for each tone, then record yourself — your pitch curve is drawn on top of the model.
标准biāo zhǔn — standard; norm; criterion
Hold one steady high note, like a doctor’s “aaah”. English has no flat pitch, so it will feel unnaturally robotic — that is correct.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
手表shǒu biǎo — wristwatch
In real speech this tone is mostly LOW, not a full dip-and-rise. Drop to the bottom of your range and stay there; the rise only appears when the syllable is said alone or at the end of a phrase.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
The initial: b
[p]
- What the mouth does
- Lips together, then released with no puff of air. The vocal cords stay quiet until the vowel starts.
- Closest English sound
- Closer to the p in “spin” than to the b in “bin” — English b is voiced, Mandarin b is not.
- Where learners slip
- Adding full voicing, which is harmless in isolation but makes b and p sound identical once you speak fast.
- Drill that fixes it
- Hold a strip of paper in front of your mouth: on b it must not move at all.
The final: -iao
[jɑʊ]
- What the mouth does
- Three positions in one glide: i → a → rounded u.
- Closest English sound
- The “yow” of “yowl”.
- Where learners slip
- Dropping the middle a and producing iu.
- Drill that fixes it
- Say it slowly in three beats, then speed up without losing the middle.
“biao” in real words
Every word below comes from the HSK 1–3 vocabulary, so you can practise on words you will actually meet.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| biǎo | exterior surface | 2 | |
| shǒu biǎo | wristwatch | 2 | |
| biāo zhǔn | standard; norm; criterion | 3 | |
| biāo tí | title | 3 | |
| mù biāo | target | 3 | |
| biǎo xiàn | to show | 3 | |
| biǎo yǎn | play | 3 | |
| biǎo dá | to express; to convey | 3 | |
| biǎo míng | to make clear | 3 | |
| biǎo miàn | surface | 3 | |
| biǎo gé | form | 3 |
Tone change you need to know
When a third tone is followed by another third tone, the first one is pronounced as a second tone. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said “ní hǎo”. The writing never changes — only the mouth does.
Third tone before any other tone. Before a first, second or fourth tone, the third tone loses its rise entirely and stays low. This “half third” is what you hear in almost all real sentences.
Syllables you might confuse with this one
One sound apart from this syllable — the pairs that make natives mishear you.
Questions people ask about this syllable
How do you pronounce “biao” in Chinese?
“biao” is the initial b plus the final iao, pronounced [pjɑʊ]. Lips together, then released with no puff of air. The vocal cords stay quiet until the vowel starts. Three positions in one glide: i → a → rounded u. It occurs in 2 tones, and the tone changes the word completely.
Which mistake do English speakers make on “biao”?
Adding full voicing, which is harmless in isolation but makes b and p sound identical once you speak fast. Dropping the middle a and producing iu. Fix it like this: Hold a strip of paper in front of your mouth: on b it must not move at all.
The other half is producing it so a native hears the right tone. The free 2-minute check tells you which syllables are actually your weak ones.