Pinyin syllable

How to pronounce “hei” in Chinese

hei = h + ei,[xeɪ].Used in 1 tone and 3 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.

黑hēi — black

黑色hēi sè — black

Hold one steady high note, like a doctor’s “aaah”. English has no flat pitch, so it will feel unnaturally robotic — that is correct.

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The initial: h

[x]

What the mouth does: Back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate and air scrapes through — there is friction, not just breath.
Closest English sound: Between the h in “hat” and the ch in Scottish “loch”, closer to the latter.
Where learners slip: Using the empty English h, which makes hē and ē sound alike.
Drill that fixes it: Whisper “loch” a few times, keep that scrape, then attach the vowel.

The final: -ei

[eɪ]

What the mouth does: Starts on a mid-front e and glides to i.
Closest English sound: The ay in “say”.
Where learners slip: Confusing it with the standalone e final, which is a totally different vowel.
Drill that fixes it: Remember: e alone = “uhh”, ei = “ay”. The i changes everything.

“hei” in real words

Every word below comes from the HSK 1–3 vocabulary, so you can practise on words you will actually meet.

Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
hēi	black	2
hēi sè	black	2
hēi bǎn	blackboard	2

Syllables you might confuse with this one

One sound apart from this syllable — the pairs that make natives mishear you.

hei → feidifferent initial: f飞 fēi — to fly hei → haidifferent final: ai还 hái — still hei → hedifferent final: e喝 hē — to drink

Questions people ask about this syllable

How do you pronounce “hei” in Chinese?

“hei” is the initial h plus the final ei, pronounced [xeɪ]. Back of the tongue rises toward the soft palate and air scrapes through — there is friction, not just breath. Starts on a mid-front e and glides to i. It occurs in 1 tone, and the tone changes the word completely.

Which mistake do English speakers make on “hei”?

Using the empty English h, which makes hē and ē sound alike. Confusing it with the standalone e final, which is a totally different vowel. Fix it like this: Whisper “loch” a few times, keep that scrape, then attach the vowel.

Hearing it right is half the job

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