All pinyin syllables ›tou
Pinyin syllableHow to pronounce “tou” in Chinese
tou = t + ou,[tʰoʊ].Used in 3 tones and 8 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.
This tone exists, but no HSK 1–3 word uses it yet — practise the sound on its own.
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.
头发tóu fa — hair (on the head)
Rise from the middle to the top, like the English question “huh?”. The rise must reach the top, not stall halfway.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
This tone exists, but no HSK 1–3 word uses it yet — practise the sound on its own.
Start at the top and drop fast, like a firm “No!”. Short and decisive.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
里头lǐ tou — inside
No pitch shape of its own: short, light, and pitched by whatever came before it.
— model— your pitch· Shape, not score. Scoring lives in the app.
The initial: t
[tʰ]
- What the mouth does
- Same contact as d, released with a strong puff of air.
- Closest English sound
- The t in “top”, with more air behind it.
- Where learners slip
- English t between vowels turns into a flap (“water”); Mandarin never does that.
- Drill that fixes it
- Aspirate every t, in every position — there is no soft version of it in Mandarin.
The final: -ou
[oʊ]
- What the mouth does
- Starts on a rounded o and tightens into u.
- Closest English sound
- The o in “go”.
- Where learners slip
- Mixing it up with ao — the two glide in different directions.
- Drill that fixes it
- ao opens then rounds; ou is rounded the whole way. Say them back to back.
“tou” 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lǐ tou | inside | 2 | |
| tóu | head | 2 | |
| tóu fa | hair (on the head) | 2 | |
| diǎn tóu | to nod | 2 | |
| shí tou | stone | 3 | |
| mù tou | slow-witted | 3 | |
| tóu nǎo | brains | 3 | |
| lǎo tóu r | see 老头子 | 3 |
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 “tou” in Chinese?
“tou” is the initial t plus the final ou, pronounced [tʰoʊ]. Same contact as d, released with a strong puff of air. Starts on a rounded o and tightens into u. It occurs in 3 tones, and the tone changes the word completely.
Which mistake do English speakers make on “tou”?
English t between vowels turns into a flap (“water”); Mandarin never does that. Mixing it up with ao — the two glide in different directions. Fix it like this: Aspirate every t, in every position — there is no soft version of it in Mandarin.
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.