Pinyin Syllable
Chinese characters pronounced yi
Learn common Chinese characters pronounced yi, including 一 yī, 以 yǐ, 意 yì, 已 yǐ, 义 yì. Compare tones, meanings, traditional forms, words…
How to Pronounce This Syllable
yi is a whole syllable (the sound of 一). The y is just a smooth glide onto a clear “ee”; say it as one piece and ride the tone over it.
Initial y
Start the syllable on the initial y, then run straight into the final i — keep them joined instead of sounding out separate English letters.
Final i
After zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, this i is not the clear “ee” in see.
Study Tip
Start with the most common characters (一 yī, 以 yǐ, 意 yì, 已 yǐ, 义 yì) and lock in their tones. 36 common characters share the sound yi, so lean on words to tell the rest apart.
Learn by Tone
yi turns up here with 4 different tones; a change of tone usually means a different character, so the groups below are split by tone.
1st tone
Taking the 1st tone here: 一, 医, 依… (5 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
2nd tone
Taking the 2nd tone here: 疑, 移, 遗… (7 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
3rd tone
Taking the 3rd tone here: 以, 已, 椅… (5 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
4th tone
Taking the 4th tone here: 意, 义, 议… (19 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
Common Words With This Sound
Seeing yi inside whole words makes it clear which character is meant — here are common ones.
Characters
36 common characters in this group.