LingoDrop
Chinese · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "宾馆" in Chinese?
been-GWAHN: a high level first syllable with no puff of air, then a low sagging second with a rounded glide.
bīnguǎn
High and steady, then a sag, with no conversion since bīn is level. Both stops are unaspirated, which means suppressing breath twice in a row — an unusual demand for an English speaker. Both syllables also close with a front n, so the nasal is constant and the vowels carry the contrast.
Listen: 宾馆
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
宾馆离海边很近。
Bīnguǎn lí hǎibiān hěn jìn.
The hotel is near the beach.
Listen: 宾馆离海边很近。
Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.
宾馆离海边很近。 keeps guǎn at a full dip because lí rises, hǎi at a full dip because biān is level, and hěn at a full dip because jìn falls. Three dipping tones in one sentence and not one of them converts — which learners find surprising, since the hooks are so visible on the page.
Where English speakers slip
Aspirating either stop changes the syllable — pīn and kuǎn respectively. Keep both releases silent. The rounded glide in guǎn is often dropped so the syllable becomes "gahn", and the vowel then stays dark instead of opening. And learners tend to force a conversion somewhere in the example sentence when none belongs.