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The Neutral Tone: Why 谢谢 Is xièxie
Some syllables lose their tone and turn short and light. Learn where it happens in everyday words.
Quick answer
A neutral-tone syllable is short, light and unstressed. Pinyin shows it with no tone mark: xièxie, māma, shénme.
谢谢
thank you
妈妈
mom
什么
what
东西
thing
Hear the phrase, then repeat it aloud.
When to use it
Expect it in many repeated words (谢谢, 妈妈, 看看), in particles
such as 吗, 呢, 吧, 的 and 了, and in many everyday words like 什么, 东西 and 朋友.
Common mistake
Giving every syllable its full tone
. 谢谢 said as xiè xiè sounds heavy and slow; keep the second 谢 short and quiet.
Practise aloud
谢谢你！ Thank you!
你买什么东西？ What are you buying?
这是我朋友。 This is my friend.
You’ve got this!
Sometimes it changes the meaning: 东西 said as dōngxi means ‘thing’, but dōngxī, with both tones, means ‘east and west’.