All words ›Beijing
CityHow to pronounce “Beijing”
北京běi jīng
Literally: northern capital.
“bay-ZHING”, with the s of “measure” — the single most common mispronunciation of any Chinese word in English
bay-JING — a hard j as in “jingle”. There is no zh sound anywhere in this word.
The shape of the word
Tap any syllable to hear it. The curve above each one is the tone you are aiming for.
Syllable by syllable
| Syllable | Tone | Practise it |
|---|---|---|
| 北 běi | Third tone — low dip | bei — open drill → |
| 京 jīng | First tone — high and flat | jing — open drill → |
The zh-sound version came from mid-century English habit, not from Chinese. Pinyin j is the sound in “jeep”, said with the tongue tip behind the lower teeth.
Questions people ask
How do you pronounce Beijing?
Beijing is 北京, běi jīng — bay-JING — a hard j as in “jingle”. There is no zh sound anywhere in this word.. Literally it means northern capital.
What is the most common mistake with Beijing?
“bay-ZHING”, with the s of “measure” — the single most common mispronunciation of any Chinese word in English
Is there anything else worth knowing about Beijing?
The zh-sound version came from mid-century English habit, not from Chinese. Pinyin j is the sound in “jeep”, said with the tongue tip behind the lower teeth.
More words people mispronounce
Reading a respelling is not the same as producing the tones. The free 2-minute check listens to you and shows which syllables land wrong.