声 shēng — sound; voice; (a measure word; used for sounds); tone; noise
我听见了鸟叫的声音。Wǒ tīng jiàn le niǎo jiào de shēng yīn.I heard the sound of birds singing.
Common words: 声音 (shēng yīn)、大声 (dà shēng)、小声 (xiǎo shēng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "tone"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "tone", including 声 (shēng), 调 (diào / tiáo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "tone" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 声 (shēng), 调 (diào / tiáo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shēng, diào, tiáo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 声 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 声 shēngsound; voice; (a measure word; used for sounds); tone; noiseUseful words: 声音, 大声
- 调 diào / tiáomode (music); to move (troops); tune; tone; melody; to transferUseful words: 调查, 调整
Common words for these 2 "tone" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 声 (shēng) — so "tone" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
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 2 ways to say "tone".
调 diào / tiáo — mode (music); to move (troops); tune; tone; melody; to transfer
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)
All 2 characters
Open 声、调 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.