Meaning Index
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "music", including 调 (diào / tiáo), 乐 (lè / yuè), 谱 (pǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
The English word "music" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 调 (diào / tiáo), 乐 (lè / yuè), 谱 (pǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span diào, tiáo, lè, yuè, pǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 调 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 调 (diào / tiáo) — so "music" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "music".
请帮我调一下空调的温度。Qǐng bāng wǒ tiáo yí xià kōng tiáo de wēn dù.Please help me adjust the air conditioner temperature.
Common words: 调查 (diào chá)、调整 (tiáo zhěng)、强调 (qiáng diào)
节日里，孩子们玩得很快乐。Jié rì lǐ, hái zi men wán de hěn kuài lè.During the festival, the children played happily.
Common words: 快乐 (kuài lè)、音乐 (yīn yuè)、音乐会 (yīn yuè huì)
她照着乐谱弹起了钢琴。Tā zhào zhe yuè pǔ tán qǐ le gāng qín.She played the piano following the sheet music.
Common words: 乐谱 (yuè pǔ)、离谱儿 (lí pǔ r)、有谱 (yǒu pǔ)
Open 调、乐、谱 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.