All pinyin syllables ›dui
Pinyin syllableHow to pronounce “dui” in Chinese
dui = d + ui,[tweɪ].Used in 2 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.
不对bù duì — incorrect
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.
The initial: d
[t]
- What the mouth does
- Tongue tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth, released with no puff of air.
- Closest English sound
- The t in “stop”, not the d in “dog”.
- Where learners slip
- Voicing it like English d — again fine alone, fatal for the d/t contrast at speed.
- Drill that fixes it
- Say “stop… top”, then strip off the s: that first sound is Mandarin d.
The final: -ui
[weɪ]
- What the mouth does
- Written ui, pronounced uei — a hidden e sits in the middle.
- Closest English sound
- The “way” in “away”.
- Where learners slip
- Reading it literally as “oo-ee”.
- Drill that fixes it
- Rewrite it: duì is “dwei”, not “du-i”.
“dui” 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| duì | right; correct | 1 | |
| bù duì | incorrect | 1 | |
| duì bu qǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon | 1 | |
| duì | squadron | 2 | |
| duì zhǎng | captain | 2 | |
| duì huà | to talk (with sb) | 2 | |
| duì miàn | (sitting) opposite | 2 | |
| qiú duì | sports team (basketball, soccer, football etc) | 2 |
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 “dui” in Chinese?
“dui” is the initial d plus the final ui, pronounced [tweɪ]. Tongue tip on the ridge behind the upper teeth, released with no puff of air. Written ui, pronounced uei — a hidden e sits in the middle. It occurs in 2 tones, and the tone changes the word completely.
Which mistake do English speakers make on “dui”?
Voicing it like English d — again fine alone, fatal for the d/t contrast at speed. Reading it literally as “oo-ee”. Fix it like this: Say “stop… top”, then strip off the s: that first sound is Mandarin d.
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.